Stasis
by Sunshine1220
Summary: Separated by time and space, lost loves find their way back to each other. They thought their journey was over, but it had only begun.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.**

 **Thank you to 2brown-eyes and Fyrebyrd for pre-reading, and to SunflowerFran for editing. All remaining mistakes are my own.**

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 **A/N: Please bear with me, but PLEASE READ! (And a special bonus at the end of the chapter.)**

 **This is the first chapter of a story I've written for the Babies at the Border Fiction Compilation. This is the only chapter that will post to FFN until weekly posts begin in late December. To read the entire, completed story before then, please donate $10 or more to one of the approved charities before October 5, 2018 to receive your copy of the compilation.**

 **Well over 100 authors, from several fandoms as well as some original fiction, have signed up to contribute their work to this, what I'm sure will be an amazing compilation. To date, it's raised over $6,000 and that number continues to rise daily. Please go to BabiesattheBorder dot blogspot dot com, as well as the Facebook group, Babies at the Border Fiction Compilation, for more information.**

 **While many feel it's a political issue, I personally feel reuniting children with their families after being separated is not political, it's a human rights issue. For that reason, I've chosen to be part of this fundraiser.**

 **Thank you for taking the time to read! ... or not. ;)**

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Summary: Separated by time and space, lost loves find their way back to each other. They thought their journey was over, but it had only begun.

 ****WARNING: Dark themes in later chapters.****

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 **Stasis**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Bella**

We were told in our preparation class on Cordia that coming out of stasis would be a difficult transition. A journey of four years to our new home on Phoenix in suspended animation would be less of a hardship if we took the class, preparing ourselves for what we should expect.

But nothing can prepare you for the actual moment your eyes open.

Awareness comes to me slowly. My hearing is ... off. It feels almost as if I'm submerged; like I'm hearing muffled voices from under water. I can hear them, but not the actual words, only murmurs. My mouth is dry, my tongue feels thick; as if I have a cotton ball in my throat. Suddenly a strong smell, something like an antiseptic, wafts past my nose. Knowing I'm coming out of a four-year sleep, the need to be medically examined isn't unexpected. Perhaps I'm being looked over in a sick bay.

Though my eyes are still heavy, I can sense someone nearby. Maybe, I'm expecting it to be Dr. Banner, my father's personal physician, who's attending to me. I was told I would likely see him when I woke.

I'm becoming more aware of other scents. There's a faint smell of engine oil. It reminds me of the repair bays where I would often go to visit Edward and Emmett as they worked. Thinking of them makes my heart sink.

I was told by many that they were traitors, murderers who killed a group of innocent people to steal a ship and its cargo of weapons. I could never reconcile what I was told with what I knew about the boy I thought I loved. I know what I saw with my own eyes that day.

A noise to my right gets my attention. I slowly turn my head, trying to open my eyes and focus on what I see. The lights are dim, but there's a figure standing in front of a monitor, appearing to track what looks to be my vital signs. It's a man, dressed not in a physician's uniform, but what seems to be civilian clothing. It almost appears to be tactical gear. I must have made a noise, or maybe my movement is what gets his attention.

"Well, hello, Miss Swan." His smile seems kind, unthreatening, even if he isn't Dr. Banner. "We were hoping you'd wake soon. How are you feeling?"

I open my mouth to speak, but the dry cottonmouth sensation won't allow any words to come out.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Miss Swan. Let me get you something to drink." He retrieves a metal cup from the overhead cabinet, fills it from the water dispenser unit and hands it to me. "Careful; not too fast," he says as I try to gulp it too quickly. I turn to my side, coughing and sputtering in my haste to quench my thirst.

"Better now?" he asks after I've caught my breath.

"Yes," I rasp.

"Now, how about that status report?" he asks with a wink. "How are you feeling?"

I pause to think for a moment. "Um, sluggish?" I say, my voice still raspy. "My brain feels like it's kind of misfiring. I know we were told it would be disorienting coming out of it, but I didn't really know what to expect."

"Yes, I can only imagine. Seven years is a long time to be in stasis," he says casually.

"Seven years? No," I say, shaking my head, my voice becoming clearer. "That's not right. We've only been in stasis for four years. Check your records again," I insist.

"Miss Swan, I know this may come as a shock to you, but there are facts you aren't aware of just yet." The rapid beeping coming from the monitors gets his attention. "Miss Swan, I need you to calm down."

"I will not calm down until I know what the hell is going on! I need to make contact with my father, immediately." I fight against my weak and tired limbs, struggling to sit. I'm suddenly thankful for the advancement of the automated muscle stimulation system they installed on the transport ships. Even if they're weak and tired, my muscles still function. But the struggle to sit up makes me dizzy. Falling back on my pillow, I squeeze my eyes closed, willing away the nausea.

"I cannot stress enough how important it is that you stay calm. Now, you will be informed of all the necessary details once you're feeling well. Please rest, and I'll be sure to send in some food. Perhaps some sleep—"

"Sleep?" I scoff, a scowl on my face. "I've apparently been sleeping for seven years. I just need to get my strength back."

"Then just rest and someone will be in to speak to you shortly."

The closing swish of the automatic door leaves me alone with my thoughts. My mind is racing with all sorts of reasons as to why I would have been left in stasis as long as he said I was.

 _He_.

I realize I didn't even get his name. _And automatic doors? Am I still on the transport ship?_ The sudden thought that I could have fallen into rebel hands while in stasis makes my heart race, and the monitors are now blaring.

"Miss Swan, you need to relax. You're not gonna do anyone any good getting all upset." A different man, blond-haired and blue-eyed, approaches me slowly as if he were encountering a frightened animal. "I brought you something to eat, but I need you to calm down first."

I try to slow my breathing, inhaling deeply and blowing it out, my eyes locked on his. "Am I still on the Phoenix transport?"

"Well, you're still on the transport, but you're not going to Phoenix anymore," he says slowly, carefully.

"Then where the hell am I?" I ask angrily, my hackles rising.

"Your transport ship was intercepted, and we'll be landing on Aurora in about twenty-four hours."

"Aurora?" I squeak. "That means I'm ... "

"Yes, Miss Swan, you're enjoying the hospitality of the Coalition Forces."

"Where ..." I clear my dry throat. "Where is my mother? The rest of the crew; the other passengers?" My voice rises in panic with each syllable.

"Well, everyone else's stasis is being maintained until we land. The commander of our unit wanted to make sure you were awake and briefed before we arrive on Aurora."

"Your commander?"

"Yes. Commander Cullen."

* * *

He was three years older than me, and we were in love ... or so I thought. Looking back, maybe it was foolish, childish infatuation. The boy I gave all my firsts to, the boy I gave my heart to, and he gave me his in return. The man who would have given me the world, and tried to, if only I had taken what he offered me. But he left me alone with nothing but heartbreak and the inability to open my heart to anyone else.

We grew up together, raised in the embassy, both of us children of government officials. My father oversaw many of our troops, an Admiral, and Edward's father was a medical ambassador. When Dr. Carlisle Cullen was accused of stealing medical records and other information, he was charged with treason. He escaped before he could be executed. I'm personally grateful. He was a good man, and I don't care what anyone else says.

After Carlisle escaped, along with his wife, his sons were moved out of the embassy and into a room in the lower level of the shuttle dock. They were put to work in the repair bays, working on cargo ships. I spent most of my free time there, talking to Edward, watching him work. He said he didn't mind the hard work, that it kept him busy, his mind on things other than his father and mother.

On that fateful day, I happened to be visiting Edward, just wasting time before my afternoon shift in the embassy's dining hall. He was working on one of the small engines of one of the shuttles. It all happened so suddenly. There was an explosion, and soon the repair bay was full of what we, from that day onward, called rebel troops, their guns firing. They stormed the shuttle dock, killing men whose job it was to defend it. Edward covered me, shielding me from the gunfire, but he was soon pulled away and out of the repair bay. The look on his face as he was dragged off has always troubled me. It wasn't a look of fear, or uncertainty.

It was a look of regret.

In the chaos, the last words I heard him say to me were _"I love you, Bella. I'll find you."_

After that, a blast shrouded the bay in darkness. I lost my hearing for hours. When the dust settled, a cargo ship, hundreds of weapons, several men, including Edward and Emmett, were missing. The collateral damage also included a dozen dead men and a docking bay that would be rendered useless for months afterward. Supply ships couldn't dock, and we had no way to send troops or supplies to the space station.

The years to follow were difficult. Things grew increasingly strained on our planet, not knowing if there were traitors still among us. Many of our supply ships and shipments to us from other planets were being intercepted, and we lived in fear of more attacks. There were no more on the scale of what happened in the docking bay, but smaller ones. It led us to believe that the rebels were behind them; people were going missing, and there was general discord in the Allied Federation meetings. There were calls for the resignation of several ambassadors, and tensions ran high.

Many chose to leave and try their luck on the planet Phoenix, where they had established a new colony. People left in droves, even if it meant they would spend four years in stasis to get there. My father was among the first in the embassy to volunteer to lead the interim council on Phoenix. He left my mother and me to sort our affairs and join him in a year's time. When I stepped onto the transport ship on my twenty-fifth birthday, I was leaving behind sad memories of my lost love and looking ahead to the possibilities of a new life.

Waking and being told that you'd been asleep for seven years was not part of my plan.

And neither was finding myself seated across the table from the man I thought I'd never again lay eyes on. Even if it only feels like three years since our last meeting, I can see the mark the past ten have made on him.

"Bella," Edward whispers, his fingers twitching. "I can't tell you how happy I am to see you."

"I'm not exactly sure if I can say the same yet, Edward. I have no idea what's going on here." I'm fidgety under his intense gaze. While I spent the last seven years in suspended animation, he has not. Though I may be chronologically thirty-two, I'm physically still twenty-five, and I can see the years, while not unkind, have aged Edward. He looks every bit his thirty-five years; the round, softness of youth replaced with the sharp edges of maturity.

His smile takes my breath away. "I'm sure you have questions, Bella. I wouldn't expect any less."

While I have so many, I first ask what I feel is the most urgent question. "Why was I kept in stasis so long?"

He nods as if he was expecting this. "Because the transport ship you were on wasn't really going to Phoenix."

"Not going to ... Then where the hell was it going?" My head is pounding, the effects of my extended rest still lingering.

"You need to stay calm, Bella. You just woke up and—"

"Would everyone stop telling me to calm down?" I yell, trying to get to my feet. I regret it the moment I do, my vision blurring, and the room swirling around me. I'm caught in Edward's arms, his familiar yet different scent overwhelming me.

"Okay, I knew this would be difficult. You always were so damn stubborn," he says with a huff. I'm soon being carried, though my eyes are closed, and I then feel myself being lowered onto a soft bed, a blanket being pulled over my shoulders.

His warm, comforting hands are smoothing over my hair, his fingertips tracing over my cheeks.

"Still so beautiful," he murmurs. "Bella, I have so much to tell you, but I need to know you aren't going to work yourself into a frenzy."

"I'll try," I whisper. Opening my eyes, I stare into his; concern shining through jade irises.

"I've missed you."

"I can't tell you how much I've missed you, Bella." His fingers trace a path through my hair, pushing some behind my ear. "I didn't want to leave you when I did, but I didn't have any other choice at the time. My father sent for Em and me, and it was the only shot we had to get off Cordia. Bella, there's so much going on that we had no idea about." His eyes are pleading for my understanding.

"Will you please tell me what's going on? Why I was in stasis so long?"

His eyes search mine, likely looking for any hint of my inability to hear what he has to say before telling me what I want ... _need_ to know. His eyes tell me before his lips do; that I'm about to be disappointed in his answer.

"I think ..." He hesitates. "I think you need to rest a while and then—"

"No, Edward," I beg. "Please tell—"

His fingers cover my lips, silencing me. "I will." My mouth opens to object, and he presses his fingers more firmly. "I promise," he says with a determined look "But you've been through enough for one day." He releases my lips from his gentle touch. "We'll talk as soon as you wake up."

He moves to stand, and I reach out to grab his hand before he can step away. "Stay," I whisper.

"You're sure?" he asks, his steps halted.

"Please."

And even though I've spent the last seven years in stasis, the stress of the day is finally taking its toll. I close my eyes and allow the sweet escape of sleep to claim me.

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 **And now, here's a small peek at my second contribution to the compilation! This will be a first, single chapter of an upcoming fic.**

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 **Red Wine and Whiskey Smoke**

 **Summary:** **She's turquoise, sun-dried cotton, and red wine. He's grease, pickup trucks, and whiskey smoke. Edward Cullen does his best, living in the shadow of his family's sordid past, while still being the son they need. Bella Swan blows back into town and is the epitome of all things good ... all the things Edward's been told his whole life he isn't. Will he let her smooth his rough edges?**

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Walking down the path toward Pop's work shed, I pass one of the happier remnants of my childhood. The tree house Pop and I built may be over twenty years old, but it's still holding up, perched in the limbs of the big oak tree out back.

It's where Emmett and I got to be more than just friends. It was a safe place for us to get to know each other, away from the prying eyes of folks around here.

The entire town knew our family's business ... knew my momma slept with a married man who already had a family. But up in that tree house, in the years to follow, it was just us. And when Emmett's momma, Pop's first wife, Elizabeth, was killed in a car accident, our place was where he was brought. That treehouse was where he could put away all the anger he had with our Pop, put our guard down—the one we both had up for everyone else—and just be two boys ... brothers.

"Pop?" I always call out when I walk up; worried he'll hurt himself because he's surprised.

"Yeah?" His raspy voice calls out from the corner of what Emmett and I deemed his playhouse. The workbench is covered in parts and pieces, none of it organized in any rational order, except to the man who guards this place like it's Fort Knox.

"It's Edward. Momma wanted me to let you know supper's about done."

"Supper?" He mindlessly scratches at his head as he searches for the clock. When he turns to face me, it takes more than a blink for recognition to set in. "Oh, hey, son. What brings you by?"

His blue eyes are clouded, not at all the sharp eyes of the man who raised me, and he looks every bit of his sixty-eight years.

"Just wanted to stop by and see if you or Momma needed me to do anything."

He waves me off. "Naw, I got things under control."

I look back over my shoulder, at the grass that could've used a cut days ago. "You sure you don't want me to cut the yard, Pop? It looks like it could use it."

"Well, I reckon you could. You want to come on inside and have some supper first?"

"Naw, you go on in and eat with Momma. I'll get the yard cut then come in and maybe take some home. I doubt she wants my smelly ass at the supper table, anyhow."

"You're probably right." The smile I remember graces his face for just a moment before it's gone, and he turns back to tinkering.

"You gonna head in, Pop?"

"What for?" he asks absentmindedly.

I sigh and reply softly, mindful I need to be patient. "Momma's got supper ready, Pop."

"Well, why didn't you say so?"

 **See you all soon. Xoxo**


	2. Chapter 2

**Long time, no see! Well, for this one, anyway. ;) It's been a while since I posted the first chapter, or maybe you're just joining me. If so, you'll want to be sure you've read chapter one.**

 **As some of you may know, this was written for the Babies at the Border Fiction Compilation fundraiser. Through the efforts of over 100 authors, we were able to raise over $13,000 to aid in reuniting children separated from their families at the US border. It is an ongoing crisis, and if you'd like more information on how you can help, please visit BabiesattheBorder dot blogspot dot com.**

 *****And in case you missed the warning in the first chapter, this story will contain dark themes and may be difficult for some readers. If you have specific triggers, please don't hesitate to PM me. I have no issue with answering questions that will put your mind at ease.*****

 **This one is completely written, as it was complete in the compilation. I plan to post twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, and it's a total of nineteen chapters, including the epilogue.**

 **Review replies will be spotty at best, but I will do my utmost to answer direct questions. Please know I read and appreciate all your feedback, and love to hear from you.**

 **Thank you to 2brown-eyes, Fyrebyrd, and Honeymoon Edward for pre-reading, and to SunflowerFran for editing. All remaining mistakes are my own.**

 **Here we go!**

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 **Chapter 2**

I would never admit it to him, but Edward was right; a few more hours of sleep have made a world of difference. The fog I felt at first waking from stasis is gone, and I'm able to focus on what he's telling me with a clear head. Even if they are details I'd rather not hear.

"More than half of the transport ships sent out in the last eight years have been diverted. All those people who thought they were volunteering for the new settlement on Phoenix were being sent to a mining colony." He pauses, letting the new information sink in for a moment before continuing, his voice soft. "Bella, Ambassador Caius has been lying to the Federation for years. He's been taking people and using them as slaves, and no one knew."

"So, all this time, he's been taking people from Cordia and sending the transports to this mining colony?" My gaze is focused on my clasped hands resting on my lap, still trying to absorb all the new information. We are sitting in his temporary, private quarters, what was a supply room when the ship left Cordia, and he's been patiently answering my questions; even when I ask the same ones over and over.

"It was actually happening before I ... left." My peripheral vision catches a glimpse of him looking up at me for a brief moment before returning his focus to his worn boots. "The new colony on Phoenix was getting a lot of attention, and there were volunteers; not many at first, but enough. That's what my dad stumbled on in the records at the embassy. There was some communication transcript among the medical files, and then he started doing his own digging. He went back, well to the beginning, through five years or so worth of records. He couldn't find any followup information on some of the volunteers that were sent to Phoenix starting just a few months after the program began. When he started asking questions, that's when Ambassador Caius had him charged with treason. He made up some cock and bull story about Dad stealing records. He had the evidence Dad found destroyed, and new evidence planted to support his accusations."

Listening to him speak, his voice is deeper, richer than it was when I last heard it. It makes me long for the years we lost; sadness creeping in at the thought of not being by his side ... knowing some of the fault lies with me. I shake my head to stop my train of thought.

"So, your father really isn't a traitor?" I look up from my hands to meet his eyes.

"No, Bella. That's the last thing he is. He was just trying to do the right thing."

"Then how did that lead to you and Emmett leaving?"

"He came back for us," he says with a shrug of his shoulders. "He found a group of men who had managed to escape from the colony—"

"How? If he didn't go looking for them, how did he find them?"

"Call it dumb luck, I guess. He docked their shuttle at some spaceport in the Sirona 5 quadrant, and he happened to recognize a man from home in the supply station. They struck up a conversation, and by the time they each realized they could trust the other not to turn them in, they started planning."

"Okay, so how does _this_ transport play into everything?"

"We've been intercepting the transports since I left Cordia; well, as many as we can. We haven't been able to catch them all."

"Does that mean you intercepted my father's?" I ask as I excitedly reach for his hands, hope in my voice.

"No. His was able to get past us. We aren't sure of specifics, but we know his ship landed; our contact told us that much. But, Bella, your father figured out what was going on the moment he stepped off his transport. They offered him a spot on the council, like he had intended on taking, but he turned them down."

I can tell he has more to say but is reluctant. "What is it?" I ask, squeezing his hand.

"Bella, your father hasn't been heard from in a while."

"What?" I ask, my voice cracking.

"We intercepted a message that was meant for you and your mother that he transmitted soon after he landed, while you were still sleeping."

"How long ago was that?"

"Two years ago."

My head is pounding with all the new information. My father left Cordia eight years ago, and other than a message retrieved two years ago, no one has heard from him. I stand and begin to pace.

"When do I get to hear the message?"

"Well, we don't have the equipment to show you here, but you'll be able to see it when we land on Aurora."

"Show me?"

"Yeah, it's a video communication. We thought your mother would like to see it with you, and we're planning on keeping everyone else suspended until we dock."

So many thoughts and questions bombard my mind, I'm unsure in which order to ask them.

 _Who are the 'we' he speaks of?_

 _Are the rebels, the Coalition, actually allies?_

 _What waits for us on Aurora?_

"How did you manage to intercept _this_ transport, and how did you know it was headed to the mining colony?"

"We've still got contacts on the inside at the embassy. We've been able to intercept about half of the transports using the information they've given us. As far as boarding the transport, we have a tech wiz in my crew that managed to hack into the controls for the airlock. It's like a remote override." I can tell he's giving me time to try to organize my thoughts, not giving me more information than I'm asking for.

"So what, you just push a button and open the hatch?"

"It's a little more complicated, but something like that," he says with a smirk.

"So, how long ago did you board us? How long have you been ... watching me sleep?" I ask uncertainty in my voice.

"I always did like watching you sleep," he whispers. "But, we boarded almost a year ago."

"A year?" I ask, surprised. "Why not just wake everyone and move them to your shuttle?"

"Because it would have taken more resources than we have, with all of them possibly needing medical attention. To make the move to the shuttle would be too hard on those coming out of stasis, too. These old transport ships don't have a jump drive because it's too dangerous to move the suspended passengers. So, we chose to wait it out and make the last bit of the journey while everyone was still asleep."

"But a year? How close were we to the mining colony?"

"We intercepted you just before you were in range to be tracked."

"So, it must be close, then? I mean, close if you were to use the jump ship."

"It is. It's only a little less than a day's travel in one. In fact, it's one of the reasons Aurora was chosen for the Coalition's base. We've been able to intercept more than half the transports heading there." The gentle shudder of the ship tells me we're docking. "Well, Bella, are you ready to see your new home?"

"Will you be with me?" I ask, unsure about where he and I stand.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

* * *

As Edward and I walk side by side down the ramp, we're passed by a group of medics sent to assist all fifty-three of the other passengers ease their way out of stasis. I know my mother is among them, but I also know it will be a while until she's able to have a conversation.

The sights that greet me cause me to halt my footsteps. The sky is a deep blue, streaks of green and purple shimmering as they dance across the atmosphere.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Edward asks from my side.

"Unbelievably so," I reply softly. "Is it always like this?"

"Most nights." He laughs a quiet laugh, but the sadness I hear in it is a juxtaposition to his smile. "The first night I came here, I sat outside all night and watched it. All I could think about was the fact that I was light years away from you, and that I wished you were next to me seeing it, too." His voice is small, almost hesitant.

Turning to him, I see so much emotion in his eyes, it brings tears to mine. "You wanted me here?" I ask my own voice merely a whisper.

"I did then, and I do now. Bella, I've waited ten years to get you back, and if you'll still have me, I want to be in your life. I never stopped thinking about you. All this has been for you, to get back to you, and to free the people of Cordia, the ones who didn't even know they were being held captive. I never stopped loving you." He steps closer, his hand coming up to brush along my jawline, his thumb brushing my bottom lip. Even with crew members and medical personnel rushing all around us, I feel like we're the only two people in the world. "I really want to kiss you right now, and I don't think I can stop myself."

"Then don't." My voice is merely a whisper.

His lips are gentle at first, tentative; barely touching mine. When his free hand snakes to my back, pulling me closer, he intensifies the kiss, drawing my upper lip between his own, sucking, tasting, bringing memories of our time together all those years ago back in a rush. When I feel his tongue dance along the edge of my lips, I open them, willingly inviting him in. My hands move to grasp his shirt; finding purchase on the straps of his weapon holster as I'm overcome with the sensation of once again being this close to him, having the taste of him on my tongue. I pull him to me tightly, wishing I never had to let him go. Only the clearing of a throat gets our attention, making us reluctantly pull away from one another.

"Sorry to bother you, Commander Cullen, but General Garrett asked that I collect you as soon as you landed." I can tell the young man sent to _collect_ Edward knows he has horrible timing, no doubt only following orders.

"Please tell him that I'll be there shortly, Brady, as soon as I get Miss Swan settled."

"Yes, Sir."

With our foreheads resting gently against one another, we savor the moment, knowing we've been given a second chance ... for us.

"Did you mean it?" I ask, my eyes still closed.

"Mean what?"

"You still love me?"

"Bella, look at me, please."

Opening my eyes, looking into his, I see the young man I fell in love with all those years ago; his green gaze still as vibrant as it was when he was the starry-eyed teenager I gave my heart to. "I never stopped loving you. I've spent the last ten years doing what I could to help our home planet. Bella, every ship we boarded, I looked, hoping I would find you. I knew I couldn't go back to Cordia, so I hoped and prayed that if you were sent on a transport, I'd find you. I've been wandering the stars waiting for you."

My arms instinctively go around him, holding him close, his familiar embrace feeling like home. Tucked under his chin, I feel him kiss the top of my head. "I never stopped loving you either."

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 **A/N: Remember, you can see teasers and pics in my Facebook group, Sunshine Fics. See you Tuesday!**

 **Lots of love**

 **~Sunshine**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Edward asked that I wait until Mom was feeling well enough to handle all of the new information that would be thrown at her. Let's just say she didn't take the news well. It took most of the night for her to calm down; at one point they threatened to sedate her. Watching her crumble when they told her Dad had gone missing was one of the hardest things I've ever had to witness. Her body finally collapsed under the stress of the news, and she spent several hours resting in our newly assigned quarters.

My mother and I are now sitting together, waiting to meet with General Garrett, the man overseeing the Coalition forces. Edward has gone in ahead of us, needing to brief him and the other officers about how their mission went. Mom is holding on to my hand as if it's her lifeline. In a way, it is; everything we were told has changed our lives forever, and we're holding on to the only constant, each other.

"Mrs. Swan, you and Bella can come on in now," Edward calls from the General's office. Mom and I stand, walking hand in hand through the door. There are six of us in the office; Mom and myself, Edward, the blond man from when I woke on the transport ship, the man I assume is General Garrett, and someone I thought I'd never see again; Carlisle Cullen.

"Mrs. Swan, Bella, I'd say it was good to meet you, but I'm afraid the circumstances don't call for that. Please, have a seat." The General motions to the two empty chairs before his desk. "I take it you're finding your accommodations satisfactory?" They all take their seats once we're seated.

"They're fine. Bella and I were able to rest for a bit last night," Mom tells him, glossing over the details of her near breakdown.

"And you've been given details of why you were brought here?"

"We were, yes. I was also told there was a video communication from my husband?" she asks with hope in her voice.

"Yes, there is. I know you must be anxious to see it, so I'll go ahead and play that for you now." Pushing a few buttons on the console before him, the lights of the room dim, and the glow of the video transponder lights up the space hovering over his desk.

The glow warms from a faint blue to a multicolor image, my father's face the focus.

 _"This is Admiral Charles Swan, from Planet_ _Cordia_ _, liaison for the Phoenix colony. My transport ship was not delivered to Phoenix. I repeat, my crew and I woke from stasis not on Phoenix. We were delivered to what seems to be one of the moons in the Dennett_ _quadrant,_ _if these maps are correct. They're mining_ _Thanuim_ _here. It's an uncharted moon as far as I can tell, and no one from the Federation has any idea what's going on_ _._ _My wife and daughter are on_ _a transport_ _as I record this message, and I fear they may be coming here instead of the new colony. Renee, Bella? I can only hope this somehow reaches you. I managed to sneak into the communications office to record this. I don't know how to stop your transport ship from coming here, but I had to send this. I can only hope someone will get_ _this and_ _find you and stop your ship from landing. I don't even know how many months I've been here. It's ... it's awful. There's no rest for the workers; we're worked until we drop from exhaustion or exposure to the Thanium. There's not enough_ _food or medical_ _treatment. It's like a slave camp. Please, please, if anyone sees this, find my girls and keep them from this awful place. Waste no time coming to my rescue until my daughter and wife are safe. That is an order. Renee, Bella, I love you both_."

The message abruptly cuts off, leaving my mother and me holding onto one another's hands tightly. The room is silent as we absorb the impact of seeing my father like that. He looks so tired, weary; not the strong man we remember.

"I know that had to be shocking," General Garrett says. "In addition to planning an offensive strike against them, we're in the process of forming a search party to retrieve Admiral Swan, and any others we know are being held there."

" _When_ do you plan to go and find him?" I snap. My accusatory tone surprises everyone, even myself, but not Edward.

"Well, we need to wait until we get solid information from our contacts on where he is. It isn't like we can knock on the door and ask for him. So, it will need to be coordinated. And if we plan to strike soon, he would be a priority."

"I understand that, but why has it taken _two years_ to organize?" Even I can hear the irritation in my voice.

"Actually, we've been planning for much more than two years, Miss Swan. Something of this magnitude takes careful preparation. We're a small group compared to the military forces on Cordia, and if they're in any way supporting this mining operation, it could be a suicide mission. Coordinating our efforts is of the utmost importance, and we're still gathering intelligence about those on Cordia who are involved.

"And despite our desire to retrieve your father, he gave us orders to follow. Being in the position he's in tells us he wasn't part of the plot to use slave labor on that moon. Being an Admiral, his orders trump mine, no matter how much we wanted to go in after him."

"We understand," my mother says, meekly. "Thank you for finding us."

"As much as I'd like to say there was some great plan to find you, there really wasn't. We were already intercepting transports when we received the Admiral's message, so we only increased our diligence when it came to looking over the passenger manifests. We do apologize it took so long. The transport ships don't have jump capabilities, so we had to add a few months to your journey. But, from what the medic unit tells me, all of the passengers are doing well and had no unexpected side effects. Isn't that right, Cullen?" He looks over to Carlisle, who I assume is in charge of the medics.

He clears his throat. "Yes, Sir, that's right. Other than some disorientation and muscle weakness in a few, everyone is doing quite well."

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen." Turning to us, General Garrett has a smile on his face. "I know this wasn't what you had in mind when you boarded that ship seven years ago, but you are all welcome here on Aurora. These gentlemen will explain how things work around here and make sure you have everything you need; that your accommodations are satisfactory. Now that you're here, we can put our plan into motion, to, at the very least, retrieve Admiral Swan."

"Can I be part of the mission?" My question surprises everyone in the room.

"Bella?" Mom gasps.

"I'd like to train so I can be a part of the rescue mission." My hands are sweaty, and my heart is racing, nerves getting the better of me.

"With all due respect, I'm not sure you'll be in any shape to be part of it, Miss Swan," General Garrett says. "Most of my soldiers have months to prepare and train for something like this."

"I'd still like the opportunity. Even if I'm not ready in time, I'd like to train."

Looking me over with a careful eye, I'm not sure what the General is searching for, but he must see something. "Then I'll leave you in Commander Cullen's capable hands," he says slowly. "And it will be his final decision as to whether you're ready or not."

I know without looking that Edward is staring a hole into the side of my head, and I have no idea what he thinks of my request. I know in my heart this is something I need to do; that my father would be proud of me.

"Thank you, Sir."

"Don't thank me yet. I hear Commander Cullen is pretty ruthless when it comes to training new recruits," he says with a hint of a grin. "But, I'm sure you'll find that out soon enough." Sweeping his hand out, he motions to the men in the room. "From what I understand, you're familiar with the Cullen family. Carlisle and Edward are here today," he says with another sweep of his hand. "Emmett is down in the shuttle dock. But we're also joined by Dr. Jasper Whitlock. He's one of our doctors and our resident mental health officer."

Taking a longer look than I did when I first came into the room, I now recognize him as the man who came to see me on the transport ship when I had my panic attack. Scanning the room, my eyes fall on Dr. Cullen.

Looking at the man I remember from all those years ago, Carlisle's cautious smile becomes more genuine once he sees ours. There was never any ill will toward the Cullens; my family always believing there was no way they could be traitors.

"Renee," he says warmly, his arms open. "We've missed you. Esme will be so happy to have her friend back."

"And we've missed you, too, Carlisle; your whole family." As Mom steps over to hug the good doctor, my eyes flash to Edward, each of us lost in the other's gaze. This whole reunion feels almost surreal; as if I've conjured this all up in my overactive imagination. Maybe I'm still in stasis, and my mind is running away from me.

"Well, ladies, once you've had the chance to catch up, I'll have Commander Cullen lead you back to your quarters. Please let me know if there is anything else you need. If you'll excuse me, I have some other matters to attend to." With that, he's gone, leaving us in the company of old friends.

As Mom and Carlisle talk amongst themselves, Edward takes the opportunity to properly introduce me to Dr. Whitlock. "Bella, this is my good friend Jasper. He was the one who came to see you shortly after you came out of stasis."

"I remember," I say with a smile. "It's nice to meet you, well, formally anyway." I reach out my hand, and he takes mine in a firm grip.

"Nice to finally meet you, Miss Swan."

"Bella, please. And what do you mean by _finally_?"

"Anyone who would let old Eddie here ramble on has heard all about the beautiful, amazing Isabella Swan," he says with a wink and a nudge to a red-eared Edward.

"And I think that's about all we have time for, Dr. Whitlock. If you'll excuse us, I'm sure Bella would like to rest." Looking over to Mom, Edward asks, "Mrs. Swan, would you mind if I escorted Bella back to your room?"

"No, that would be fine," she says with a hint of mischief in her eyes. "And Edward," she continues. "She is an adult, so I think perhaps you could ask _her_ next time, hmm?"

"Of course. Sorry, I guess old habits die hard," he says with a nervous, quiet laugh. My smiling mother is left behind as I'm quickly, yet politely ushered out of the room, leaving a chuckling Jasper and Carlisle behind.

* * *

 **A/N: Remember, you can see teasers and pics in my Facebook group, Sunshine Fics. See you Friday!**

 **Lots of love**

 **~Sunshine**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Did you find your quarters to be comfortable last night?" Edward asks me as we leave the building where the General's office is located.

"It was fine." For some reason, conversation between us feels ... stilted. As if we've not known each other our entire lives. I realize he's not seen me in ten years, but for me, it feels like only the three years after he left me have passed, the other seven I spent suspended in sleep. The uncomfortable silence stretches on as we walk along the path leading to the barracks where our quarters are located.

"Bella," he says softly. "I don't want you to think that I shared anything private with any of my men, or even my friends. I only told them about you and how much you meant to—"

My hand flies to his mouth, silencing him. "Can we wait and discuss this in your quarters?"

"Mine?" he mumbles from beneath my fingers, his eyes wide.

I nod. "I don't want to be interrupted by my mother."

He agrees with a nod of his head as I remove my palm from his lips.

We walk quickly, with purpose this time, and we've soon arrived. Scanning his fingerprint, he unlocks and pushes open the door. Stepping inside, my eyes scan the room. It's no different from the one my mother and I shared last night, besides a few personal effects. But the basic accommodations are in stark contrast to what I'm used to on Cordia.

"Do you want something to drink?" he asks, stepping over to the familiar looking rations dispenser.

"They're using those old R-9000s here? The _Rationator_ _?_ " I ask with a chuckle, teasing him about the systems we nicknamed and couldn't replace fast enough on Cordia. It gets him to look over his shoulder.

He smiles as he turns completely to face me. "Yeah, well, when your resources are limited, you use old, outdated tech, I guess. Food replicators were just a little out of the budget for the Coalition." He thumbs over his shoulder. "So, you want something?"

I shake my head, smiling. "No, I'm fine, thank you. Please, sit, Edward," I urge him.

We sit across from each other at the small table, our hands reaching out to find the other's. His thumbs gently brush over my knuckles in a soothing pattern, reminding me of the soft touches he granted me so many years ago. It's his soft touch that gives me the confidence to speak.

"I can't tell you how much it means to me that you never forgot me, Edward," I begin. "To know that you kept my memory alive all these years ..." I trail off, shaking my head in near disbelief. Thoughts of what has kept him busy all this time lead to possibilities of who has kept him warm as well, and I physically pull back.

"What's wrong?" he asks as I pull my hands from his.

"Nothing." I shake my head. "It's just that it _has_ been a long time, Edward. I'm just a little jealous of the people who have been able to share your life with you the last ten years. I mean, I'd understand if you found someone to _be_ with. I'd hate to think you've been lonely all these yea—"

"No, Bella. There's only been you."

"How is that possible?"

Looking down at his fidgeting hands, he's quiet, thinking over his answer. When his eyes meet mine again, they're sad but open; completely honest. "The day they came for us, I wasn't ready. I knew it would be someday, but I wasn't ready for them that day. I had hoped it would be a few more years, that I would have finally been able to get you to accept my proposal, Bella; that I would have made you my wife. Then they'd have to take you, too. But no, it was only Emmett and me they came for. I spent the first year here to myself, angry, pissed at the universe. When I met Jasper, he nicknamed me Sullen Cullen," he says with a sad smile. "I felt like half of my heart had been left on Cordia. You were light years away from me, and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it."

My heart is pounding with his every word. Hope starts to bloom in my chest, and my hands begin to tremble.

He takes a breath, blowing it out. "So I did the only thing I could; I trained to be part of the Coalition. I focused all my time and energy on being a better soldier so I could use my skills to find you and bring you here, home with me. So, after a year of sulking, I trained for a year; tactical and pilot training. I don't think I slept much that year, but I did it. Then I spent the next seven years on every mission I could get myself assigned to, helped train the new arrivals too. I did whatever I could to stay busy. Every time I stepped foot on a transport ship, I held my breath until I had the passenger manifest in my hands. Even before your father's message was received, I was looking for you."

Reaching out, he pulls my shaking hands back into his own, staring into my eyes. "Then one year ago, we boarded your ship. When I saw your name on that list, I couldn't stop myself from running to find your stasis pod." He pauses, seeming to turn over the words in his mind. "Bella, when I laid eyes on you for the first time in ten years, all the doubts I had, all the time I spent alone or on some God-forsaken ship with my crew, all melted away when I saw your face. So, no, I never found anyone to fill that void in my life because I never gave up hope that I would find you."

"All this time you ... you waited for me?"

"Of course, Bella. There's only ever been you." He pauses, uncertainty in his eyes. "But I was gone a long time. If you—"

I pull a hand from his and reach over the table to press it against his lips. "Only you," I whisper. "I could never give my heart to anyone else because it already belonged to you."

I slide my hand from his mouth, and it moves along the side of his jaw until my fingers find the back of his neck, pulling him to me, my lips firmly planted on his. His shock quickly subsides; his own hands pulling me closer still. Our lips and tongues find a rhythm that feels familiar; past shared kisses flashing through my mind. My body rises from my seat, moving of its own volition. Like a magnet to steel, I climb into his lap, straddling him in the chair.

I feel him grow hard beneath me, one of his hands finding purchase on my neck, the other trailing down my spine holding me to him. I feel caged in his arms, but not trapped. I feel ... loved, protected. Just when I think our kiss may lead to something more, he begins to pull back, his lips slowing, his kiss cooling only slightly in its intensity.

With his forehead resting on mine, his eyes are still closed, his breathing slow but deep. "I'm so afraid I'm going to wake up and realize this has all been a dream," he whispers. His eyes finally flutter open, shining bright with what I know is love.

"If it is, don't wake me."

His hands span my back, his fingertips tracing the edges of my spine, my shoulders, remembering the paths they took so many years before.

"Please let me have you, Bella. I don't think I can go another day and not feel you under me." His whispered words bring tears to my eyes. Everything I've wished for all these years is finally within my grasp. Knowing he hasn't shared this part of himself with anyone else, that he waited ten years for me ... I'm so overwhelmed, I'm unable to speak and can only nod.

As he rises to his feet, I wrap my legs around his waist, holding on for dear life; as if he'll disappear if I let go of him. He walks us to his small bed and lays me down gently onto the blankets. He pulls back just enough to look at me. Our heavy breaths are the only sound in the room; the sound of my pounding heart loud in my own ears.

"My god, you're just as beautiful as I remember." His eyes follow his touch as it gently brushes along my cheek. When his gaze returns to mine, I can see the emotion there. "I think I've loved you my entire life. I thought I'd die without you by my side. Promise me we'll never be apart again," he pleads with me.

"Never again. I love you, Edward."

Lost in the feeling of once again being in each other's arms, we take our time ridding the other of their clothes, piece by piece. My fingers trace over the hard planes of his chest, the strength in his grasp so much more than it was the last time he held me this way. The young man I knew has grown into the strong man in my arms. His shaking fingers make quick work of the buttons and zippers holding my clothes together.

When our bodies are completely bared to one another, life is breathed into the dormant embers of the fire we've always had between us, and it's soon raging; as if an inferno has been lit. His hands skim my face, urgent yet controlled. His fingers gently but surely trace along my lips and then down my throat, his own lips and tongue tasting the skin warmed in their wake.

My own hands find purchase around his neck before traveling down to feel the heat he's emanating. My fingertips find faint lines, scars from injuries he's suffered in my absence. I've missed so much, so many years with him, but I don't let that thought ruin this moment for us.

When his long, sure fingers make their way to my center, he finds me wet and ready.

His cautious but lust-filled eyes meet mine. "Are you sure, Bella? I don't want you to regret this."

"I've never been more sure of anything."

His lips crash to mine as his hand skims up and over the expanse of my belly, and around my hip, lifting my soft curves to his hard edges. As my legs wrap around him, he brings his hand back to guide himself to my entrance. When his eyes meet mine, I see it before he says it. "I love you."

I gasp as he slowly pushes into me; so overwhelmed by all the sensations flowing through me, tears spring to my eyes.

"Oh, God," he groans into my ear. "I've missed you so much." His mouth once again finds mine before I can respond, our tongues gliding against one another as we each seek to devour the other.

We're silent, other than our heavy breaths; only moans of pleasure leaving our lips as our bodies seem to remember the dance we danced countless times so long ago. As he pushes and pulls, thrusting in and out at a maddeningly slow pace, he lifts my hips, hitting a spot deep inside I had forgotten existed.

Our time and distance apart sees us both rushing toward the finish line. We're both so overcome with pleasure I almost don't hear his cry as he finds his release within me, while my own climax overtakes my senses.

"I've missed you so much. I'm never letting you go, Bella. You're mine, and I won't let anything keep us apart," he murmurs against my neck between heavy breaths. His lips haven't left my skin, my arms and legs locked around him. When his gorgeous, flushed face turns up to look at me, I see determination. "Marry me, Bella. Say you'll be mine forever."

* * *

 **A/N: Remember, you can see teasers and pics in my Facebook group, Sunshine Fics. See you Tuesday!**

 **Lots of love**

 **~Sunshine**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The first days of my training are brutal. If I'm under the impression that Edward will take it easy on me, I am woefully mistaken. My muscles are only slightly weaker than they were pre-stasis, but training every day is taking care of that. After a few weeks, I'm training alongside men twice my size.

Workouts have been exchanged for actual practice drills, which have been grueling; running, climbing, even early morning wake up calls to get us accustomed to occasional sleep deprivation. There's been extensive weapons training as well. But my favorite part of training is the hand-to-hand combat simulations. My slight form and stature allow me to get myself out of tight spots; headlocks being among them.

But today is different. Today I'll be facing off with Edward himself. Before now, I've only sparred with the others in the group, usually one matched to my size and abilities. Everyone else has had a chance to go up against Commander Cullen, except me.

That's about to change.

Dressed in his standard-issue training uniform of breathable, form-fitting fabric, I can't help but stare. I'm mesmerized by the sight of the taut muscles of his thighs, the curve of his perfect ass, his muscled back, and the fabric stretching over his firm chest, too. I'm completely distracted as I think about him being all over me in a matter of minutes.

After our first night together, when I deflected his proposal, he asked me to at least stay with him, in his quarters ... permanently. Knowing there wasn't anywhere else I wanted to be, I spoke to my mother, worried that I'd upset her by leaving her alone. She only laughed and told me she had been waiting for me to talk to her about it. As sad as she is about my father being held prisoner, she said that love should never be taken for granted and I should hold on to it with both hands. She gave me her blessing and then helped me pack what little I had.

I've spent every night since in his bed.

The spark I felt the first time he kissed me after he found me is an almost physical, tangible thing here in the room. Eyeing me from across the mat, I can see in his steely gaze I'm not alone in my thoughts.

"Are you ready, Swan?"

"Yes, Sir."

Stepping closer, that magnetism that has always been present with us is drawing me closer to him. I'm so caught up in the sensation, I miss his approach, and I find myself flat on my back, his hulking form pinning me down.

"If I were the enemy, Swan, you'd be dead. Now, what are you going to d—"

With a swift turn of my leg, it wraps around his, flipping us in one fluid motion, reversing our positions; me now hovering over him. The shock barely registers on his face before I've sprung to my feet, readying myself for his next move.

"That's pretty impressive, Swan," he says, rising up to rest on his elbows. "Let's see what else you've got."

He's almost as fast as I am and on his feet in a flash. He steps closer, his hands reaching out to grasp me, and we're soon a flurry of twisting, jabbing limbs, each of us ducking the other. Each time he thinks he has the upper hand, I manage to free myself from the cage of his arms. In one last attempt, he makes a grab for me, only for me to wrench my arms around his, kick his feet out from under him, and pin him face down on the mat, my knee pressing into his back.

"Had enough, Cullen?" I ask, both our chests heaving.

"Not nearly enough, actually," he says lowly, so I'm the only one to hear him.

The clapping around the room is soon loud, and when the whistles and catcalls pick up, I know that the infamous ringleader must be crashing the training session.

"Looks like my big brother just got his ass handed to him by a little girl," Emmett jokes.

After releasing Edward's arms, I move off him and offer my hand to help him to his feet. When he's once again upright, he comes close enough to whisper into my ear. "We _will_ continue this later, Miss Swan."

"I'm counting on it, Commander Cullen."

Emmett must have some idea of what's transpiring between Edward and me, because he's just laughing at us.

"Well, I think that's enough for today, ladies and gentlemen. We'll meet back here at 0500 hours. Until then, you're dismissed."

The group groans and mumbles in response to Edward's orders, myself included.

"But, Edward, that's so early," I whine as we walk side by side toward Emmett.

He leans over, whispering in my ear just before we reach him. "Then I'll just have to put you to bed early tonight." He straightens his back and addresses his brother. "So what brings our favorite engineer down to the training center?"

"Oh, Rosie wanted me to invite you guys to eat with us tonight. Jasper and Alice are supposed to join us, too."

In the short time I've been here, I've grown close to the women who have known Edward while we've been apart. Rosalie works alongside Emmett in Engineering, and Alice is a medic assistant at the hospital, and their fiery personalities make them perfect for their positions in the male-dominated Coalition. And while I've known Emmett as long as I've known Edward, he's grown and changed in the time since they left Cordia. I've gotten to know Jasper, too. I'm eternally grateful that Edward's had such amazing people in his life.

Edward and I exchange a look, and we both know we've been neglecting our friends and family while we've sort of ensconced ourselves in our own little bubble. I nod at him before he answers his brother.

"Yeah, just give us a time, and we'll be there."

"Let's say seventeen hundred hours in our quarters?"

"Sounds like a plan." They shake on it, and Edward and I are soon walking back to our room, needing to shower off the after-effects of the training session.

As I reach out to disengage the lock with my now programmed fingerprint, he nuzzles his face into my neck, kissing a line up to behind my ear.

"So, you must think you're all that, being able to bring me down, huh?" he asks as I push open the door. Stumbling inside, his hands find my waist, pulling me close as he kicks the heavy door closed. "Trying to see if you can best me in battle before you agree to be my wife?" His lips turn up in a smirk against my skin.

I just smile, shaking my head. "I love you, Edward. Isn't that enough?" I turn to face him.

His smile falls, the same expression he's always given me when the subject comes up. "It would have meant you would've been with me the last ten years, Bella, if you had said yes when I asked you back then."

My eyes fall to my hands resting on his chest. I remember the first time he asked me, as clear as day.

We had taken a walk to the edge of a waterfall, hand in hand, with stars in our eyes. It was a beautiful, warm day when he laid his heart before me, and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. I was only nineteen and wanted to get a degree, show my parents I could be a responsible adult. I wanted to make something of myself and be independent, even if I hadn't figured out exactly what that meant. I couldn't bring myself to say yes, no matter what my heart wanted. It was back when life was simpler, back before Carlisle was accused, before he fled. If I had been Edward's wife, the convoy sent years later to retrieve him would have taken me as well, and the last decade apart would have never happened.

Only fear holds me back this time; fear of the unknown.

"What if you get sent out on a mission, and you never come back?" I ask quietly. "I don't think I'd survive losing you again."

Inhaling deeply, he blows the breath through his nose, his eyes boring into mine. "Bella, that could happen regardless; whether we're married or not. Why pass up being together, sharing a life and starting a family on the possibility of things going wrong? What if you never say yes, and I'm sent anyway? I'm yours, mind, body and soul, and I want to be able to call you my wife. I don't want to miss our second chance just because you're afraid of things neither of us have any control over!"

Closing my eyes, I rest my head against his warm, firm chest. "I'm afraid," I whisper.

"I am too, but I don't want to let the what-ifs keep us away from what we could have."

"I don't want that either," I mumble into his chest. "Ask me again."

Lifting my chin, he peers into my eyes, like he's looking into my very soul. "Bella Swan, will you marry me? Will you share the rest of your life with me?"

Looking up into his bright green gaze, I see the future we both want. So as we stand in the middle of our living quarters, sticky and sweaty from training, I give him the answer he's waited over a decade to hear.

"Yes, I'll marry you."

The words barely leave my mouth before his lips are on mine, his hands roaming my body, divesting me of my clothes as he somehow strips off his own simultaneously. We blindly stumble our way into the shower, and soon the hot water is swirling around us as he claims what's always been his.

As he holds me up against the cool tiles, surrounding me, filling me, our bodies find a familiar rhythm, bringing us both to ecstasy. Coming down from my own release, I feel him pulsing inside me, his hands clutching me to him like I'm his lifeline. His words of love and devotion are mumbled into my neck as he holds me close.

Our eyes meet, and before either of us can speak, the high-pitched wail of sirens blare through the speakers of the alert system, and Edward freezes.

"We're under attack," he says with panic in his eyes. Sliding from my body, he places me back on my feet. I'm stunned silent, and he's already drying himself with a towel, mumbling through some kind of checklist in his head. When I hear something about a ship, I snap out of it.

"Edward!" I yell as I grab for a towel.

He spins around, his clothes in his hands, waiting for me to speak.

"What am I supposed to do? I was never told the procedure for the base being under attack. Is there somewhere I'm supposed to report to? Somewhere to hide?" The nervous fear in my trembling voice is evident.

"I'm so sorry, baby," he says, dropping his clothes before stepping toward me and sweeping me into his arms. I melt into them, letting their warmth soothe my frayed nerves. "No, you're staying with me. I'm not letting you out of my sight. Anyone not assigned to pilot an attack fighter either goes underground or to man one of the missile stations."

He tilts my chin up to look down into my eyes. "But you're coming with me to the command station so I can keep you safe."

"Okay," I answer, not wanting to argue with him. I'm sure my mother is okay, that someone is taking care of her, so I have to trust Edward to keep me safe. I don't want to let him go anyway.

"Good," he says, releasing me. "Let's get dressed and head down there. The alert hasn't been sounding for long, so maybe there isn't too much damage."

We both rush around the room, him dressing in the same uniform I saw him in after I woke from stasis. I choose similar clothes, even if they aren't technically a uniform. I have no way of knowing what we'll be faced with when we arrive, but I need to be ready for anything.

We sprint toward the command station hand in hand, hearing explosions in the distance as we go. People are taking cover, running to safety, if not headed to fight back.

"Why are they doing this?" I ask as we near the safety of the station. "I don't understand why they're bombing us!" As the words leave my mouth, another blast sounds to our right.

"Dammit! Get inside!" He pushes me through the doorway and into the safety of the building, then guides me along the corridor, toward the control room I'd guess. "I know they've been searching for us for years, pissed off about intercepting so many of the transports." He looks back at me over his shoulder. "Guess they found us."

* * *

 **A/N: Not the Boy I Married was nominated for the top 10 completed fics in the month of February over on TwiFanfictionRecs dot com! If you enjoyed it, I'd appreciate a few of your votes. :) You can vote daily through the last day of the month, so spread the love and vote for all your favorites!**

 **Remember, you can see teasers and pics in my Facebook group, Sunshine Fics. See you Friday!**

 **Lots of love**

 **~Sunshine**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Just a reminder, ladies and gents, this one IS categorized as angst. It's been sunshine and roses up until now, but that's about to change.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

The control room is in organized chaos; people shouting orders, screens and video transponders lit all around the space. There are images on a few that must be coming from a satellite, because I see two carrier ships just beyond our atmosphere, attack fighters coming and going in their quest to inflict damage on our planet's surface.

"Damage report!" General Garrett shouts over the noise in the room.

"They've leveled hangar four, Sir. The commissary has taken a hit, but the ground crew seems to have it under control," one of the men responds.

"And our Thanium storage?"

"Stable. The walls have not been breached, Sir."

"Good." The General's eyes find us, and he quickly makes his way over. "Cullen, Miss Swan." He nods in greeting.

"Sir," Edward replies.

"I need you in a fighter, Cullen. I've initialized the response team, but you're one of my best pilots. You need to be up there."

"Of course, Sir," he answers his commanding officer. The nervous glance he gives me tells me I'll have to let him go well before I'm ready.

"Good, then go see your brother to get suited up." Before he turns his attention back to the room, he reminds Edward, "And Cullen?"

"Sir?"

"Don't forget your rank while you're out there. I expect you to keep a level head."

"Yes, Sir," he replies.

With a nod from General Garrett, Edward is summarily dismissed.

My heart begins to pound. I know we're just about to be separated, and my hands gripped on to his for dear life.

"I'm not ready to let you go," I croak as I feel the tears well in my eyes.

"I'll be back to hold you tonight," he promises with a kiss to my forehead.

"Come back to me."

"I will. I love you, Bella."

"I love you, too."

With one last, lingering kiss, I can feel his promise to return, to spend the rest of his days with me. Knowing he has orders, I don't hold him too long, just long enough, before releasing him to fulfill his duty.

With focused determination, he walks toward the door that will take him to his brother to be prepped to board his attack fighter, and to launch himself into the stars to stop this sudden attack on Aurora.

"Sir, it looks like the hospital has taken a direct hit." The voice causes me to scan the screens, looking for the damage. Seeing the smoke and flames lick at the walls of a place that should be a refuge, a safe haven for the sick and injured, I suddenly feel sick myself.

I find a chair and try to stay out of the way, as they do their best to defend the base. Soon, I hear men and women calling out that they're airborne, that they've launched their fighters. I wait to hear Edward, the nerves clawing at my gut.

"This is Cheney. I've got one in my sights."

One after the other, names and statuses are called out, but still no Edward. I have no idea how much time has passed before I finally hear the voice I've been waiting for.

"This is Cullen. I have a clear shot on the carrier." It's nearly silent in the room, as I don't think anyone thought there would be a fighter close enough to fire on the carriers. "Awaiting orders to take the shot," he says again, impatience lacing his tone.

General Garrett takes a moment, seemingly weighing his options before speaking. "Who's close to Cullen?" he barks.

"I'm almost there," I hear an unfamiliar voice.

"Same here. ETA sixty seconds."

"Cullen, wait for Newton and Black to get there."

"Holding, Sir." The irritation is clear in his voice at being told to wait.

Seeing the fighters near each other on the screen, I'm wringing my hands from anxiety. When they finally get close enough, Garrett gives the order.

"Fire at will."

The three of them focus their weapons on the same area of the carrier, and even though there's no blazing fireball like there would be here on the planet's surface, I can see they're inflicting damage. The carrier begins to shut down, its lights dimming, and the docking bay door, damaged by their weapons, breaking away from the hull.

Everyone in the room seems to be holding their breath, waiting to see if the damage was enough to cripple the ship. It seems to be working, as all the opposition's fighters are choosing to return to the other carrier when their weapons have been exhausted; new ones taking their place as they retreat.

Our people have successfully brought down nearly a dozen of the opposition, and my heart is pounding as those that are left return their fire. It's playing out before my eyes, and I'm still in disbelief.

"When you get the opening, I want you to hit that second carrier, Cullen. Black, Newton, you get in there, too," the General says from his perch in the center of the room.

"Copy that," Edward's voice calls out over the speakers.

As I watch our people circle around the carrier, waiting for the moment to strike, the flickering on another nearby monitor gets my attention. As the distorted image becomes more clear, the face of my father comes into focus.

I'm stunned silent as I watch his lips, nearly frantic in their movement as he speaks, though I can hear no sound. I rise from my seat, and make my way closer to the screen; one that no one seems to be paying any attention to. I look around, searching for an earpiece, some way to hear what he's saying.

"How do I turn this thing on?" I yell as I search my surroundings for any clue how to turn on the audio. Everyone around me is busy, doing their best to do their jobs of helping our men and women who are up there fighting, and my cry for assistance isn't heard among all the chaos.

A corded headset is lying haphazardly across the desk before me, abandoned for the cordless everyone else is using. I pick it up, and I can hear the chaos of people shouting orders and acknowledgment back and forth. Following the cable with my fingers, I see a touchscreen with different numbered icons. Pressing one after the other, I figure out it's to switch the audio from screen to screen. As fast as I can, I tap each one, listening just long enough for my father's voice. When I finally hear it, a sob bursts from my chest in relief.

 _".._ _._ _your fire. I repeat, hold your fire. This is Admiral Swan. I've managed to sneak aboard the carrier in an attempt to reach someone from the Coalition. Hold your fire,"_ he keeps repeating.

Realizing that Edward is about to fire on the ship carrying my father, I jump to my feet. "Wait!" I scream out, loud enough to bring the room to a momentary pause. "My father is on that ship!"

When realization dawns on them, Garrett gives the order to hold their fire. "We need to get onboard and retrieve the Admiral. Cullen!" he barks.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Is there any way you can get into that carrier?"

"Inside?" he asks in disbelief.

"We've got a man onboard we need to recover."

"I just need someone to cover me."

As I listen to the General organize our fighters to enter the carrier, my attention turns back to the screen, even though his face is now displayed on several more in the room. I don't know how to use the controls in front of me, so I have no idea how to respond, no way to let him know we're coming for him. As I stare at the screen before me, the voices around me yell out instructions and commands, doing their best to organize my father's safe retrieval. I can only sit and helplessly watch my father's fate, decidedly in someone else's hands.

My heart is torn between watching my father, who I haven't seen in so long, and worrying about the man I just an hour ago agreed to marry. They're both in so much danger; my father of being discovered, and Edward of being caught and detained. I could lose them both.

"I'm in." Edward's voice is loud enough over the room's speakers that it's heard over my father's still coming through the headphones. I adjust them so that I can hear both of their voices, and then ... I wait.

"Do we know where the hell Swan is?" he snaps.

"Sending you a schematic of the ship now, Cullen. It should be in your communicator momentarily."

"Got it." He's quiet for a moment, looking at the information, I'd guess. "Has he given his position?"

I slip the headphones back on, turning my attention back to where his communication is still on the screen. The room he's in is nondescript, it could be anywhere. So I focus on his words, trying to listen for clues about where he is.

 _"I don't hear the ship taking any more hits. I'll assume you're getting this, and you're coming to get my sorry ass. I've managed to subdue_ _some of the_ _crew, well, with a little help,"_ my father says over his shoulder. There must be others with him. He turns back. _"We've barricaded ourselves in the control room. There are four of us. I repeat, there are four of us, including myself, locked in the control room on level three of the ship. We are armed, so approach with caution."_

"Is anyone else seeing this?" I shout into the room. I look over and get a nod from Garrett, the serious look never leaving his face.

Orders are already being given, and soon Edward has reinforcements. Three other pilots manage to land in the docking bay of the carrier, removing more of the threat as they go. I'm on the edge of my seat as they all call in their progress and positions.

"We're on level three," Edward says into his communicator.

"Swan and the others are armed. Proceed with caution," Garrett reminds them.

Watching my father, I know the moment Edward and the others arrive at the control room. He grabs his weapon, and I hold my breath, worried for the men on the other side of the door. But it's all for naught as the door opens, and the two men I love most in this world exchange a handshake. I can't hear what's being said, but I'm sure they're devising a plan to get them all back here alive.

"Cullen, you need to get your asses out of there. Looks like you've got more incoming. They're returning to the carrier after trying to blow us up." Garrett's no-nonsense way of giving his order makes me realize just how serious this is; that they're still in danger.

"Copy that." Edward quickly rounds up the men, and they leave the screen that's held my attention since it flickered to life. The room I'm in is once again a flurry of activity, orders being given, damage reports still pouring in. I wait to hear anything from Edward, or any of the others and say a silent prayer that they'll make it back safely.

But as the expected chatter over the communicators increases in volume, and the sound of gunfire erupts, I know something has gone terribly wrong.

* * *

 **A/N: Remember, you can see teasers and pics in my Facebook group, Sunshine Fics. See you Tuesday!**

 **Lots of love**

 **~Sunshine**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Sir, we've got a problem." Edward's voice is wary, and it puts a knot in my stomach.

"What's wrong, Cullen?" Garrett asks.

Sounds of men shouting and shots being sporadically fired fill the space around me, and I fall into the chair nearest to me. I close my eyes and pretend this is all a dream; that my father and the man I love aren't in grave danger.

"Looks like some of the returning pilots or the crew Swan thought he'd subdued are determined not to let us leave," he says with a humorless chuckle. "Dammit!" he suddenly yells.

The only way to describe what comes next is absolute pandemonium. The sounds of shots and curses fly over the comm unit as the men all yell over each other, leaving no real way for me to keep up with what's happening.

Voices call out as they battle their way through the line of opposing fighters blocking their way, Edward's lost in the cacophony of chaos. I don't know how much time passes before I begin to hear what I've been waiting for, the pilots individually reporting back. Each man and woman to announce they've safely boarded and taken off makes the knot in my stomach tighten, as I've yet to hear Edward. And as they all call in, with each report, my heart pounds harder, especially when the last one calls over the speakers.

"This is Newton. I'm the last one officially back in Aurora airspace." His tone is grave, despondent, and my heart beats painfully against my rib cage.

With adrenaline flooding my body, I'm on my feet and running in what I think is the direction of the hangar where they'll be returning. But before I make it out of the room, I overhear something that makes me freeze in my tracks.

"It appears the carrier is preparing to leave, Sir."

My eyes scan the walls of monitors, looking for the spacecraft that holds the other half of my heart. When it disappears from view, a piece of me cracks open, and a sob erupts from somewhere deep within my soul.

I know I have little time to dwell on what's happened, that my love appears to be lost, but my father should be waiting for me in the docking bay, so I turn to leave the room. I'll deal with my new reality later when I can allow the tears to flow freely.

Voices yelling out more damage reports on Aurora are the last thing I hear as the door closes behind me. I start running down the corridor, passing a few men and women on the way, when it suddenly occurs to me ... I have no idea where I'm going. As I pass yet another man, I grab his arm.

"Where are they landing the fighters?" I plead, begging him to point me in the right direction.

When he does, I take off in a sprint. When I finally make it, I see Emmett, looking just as nervous as me, waiting for them to return.

"They're not back yet?" I ask, breathless, as I get closer.

He looks to be in shock, almost ashen in color, but shakes his head in response. "Not yet. Shouldn't be much longer, though." He turns to look down at me, his eyes pleading. "Were you in the control room? Did you hear him call in? They're saying he never called in."

I swallow hard and shake my head. "No," I rasp. "I didn't hear him."

Emmett's large hand reaches for mine and squeezes. We both know what it will mean if Edward isn't among the fighters to return.

There's a chance he may never come home.

Only moments later, the first of our fighters pull into the hangar. There are no distinguishing marks on the attack fighters, so I have no idea which one could, by some miracle, be Edward's, or which one holds my father. When the hatches begin to open on some of them, and the pilots start to appear, I hold my breath, anxious, hopeful to see them both.

When Edward is nowhere to be found, real panic begins to set in. What I fear to be true, as good as confirmed. I catch the frustrated eyes of Newton, the last of the pilots to report.

"Your dad is back there, Bella," Newton says, pointing toward the last one in the line. "I'm pretty sure he's going to need some medical attention." With a defeated stance, he turns and walks away.

Emmett releases my hand from his tight grasp, and he and another man dressed in pilot gear walk to where my father waits to be pulled from the spacecraft. Each of the men grabs one of my father's arms, helping him disembark. I gasp as I see the now thin, frail form of the man who was once a formidable presence. The last two-plus years have made their mark.

"Daddy?" I whisper through the fingers covering my mouth.

His weary gaze finds mine, and I can see his restrained happiness at once again laying eyes on me.

"Bella," he says with a sigh. "Come here." He opens his arms wide, and I go to him; gently holding on to him as he sits on the makeshift stretcher they're using to wheel him to be checked by a medic. "I'm so glad they found you and your mom, baby girl. I thought ... " He swallows hard as he looks into my eyes, his trembling hands gently stroking my hair. "But you're safe. That's all that matters."

"We are. Mom and I are both okay," I choke out.

He squeezes his eyes closed, likely saying a silent prayer of thanks, then opens them; his deep, brown eyes swimming with tears. "I can't tell you how much it means that you're both safe." His weak arms once again wrap around me, holding me close. I have no more words, only tears of relief that he's been safely returned to us. But I also allow myself a moment to cry a few tears of pain over the realization that the man I've only just found seems to have been lost.

My father is whisked away to be treated, and my mother has been notified, and as the chaos and confusion of the day wanes, I feel lost with nothing to guide me. No one can answer my questions, and no one can bring me comfort. I wander aimlessly for what could be hours, and as if on autopilot, I find myself outside the quarters Edward and I shared for only two short months.

As I step inside, the sights and smells bring with them a flood of memories, and it brings me to my knees.

.

.

.

 _Even if it only feels like three years since our last meeting, I can see the mark the last ten has made on him._

 _"Bella," Edward whispers, his fingers twitching. "I can't tell you how happy I am to see you."_

 _"I'm not exactly sure if I can say the same yet, Edward. I have no idea what's going on here."_

.

.

.

 _"You still love me?"_

 _"I never stopped loving you."_

.

.

.

 _"Ask me again."_

 _Lifting my chin, he peers into my eyes, like he's looking into my very soul. "Bella Swan, will you marry me? Will you share the rest of your life with me?"_

 _Looking up into his bright green gaze, I see the future we both want. So as we stand in the middle of our living quarters, sticky and sweaty from training, I give him the answer he's waited over a decade to hear._

 _"Yes, I'll marry you."_

.

.

.

My tears come in a torrent, gut-wrenching sobs accompanying them. Even knowing his mission was successful, that my father is back with us, I'm a selfish creature, and I want Edward here. The thought that I'd gladly give all the men who returned safely in exchange for him flashes briefly through my mind, and it only makes me cry harder.

I push the thought from my mind as I stand on wobbly legs and walk to our bed, crawling in and burrowing under the covers. I pull them tightly over my head, letting the pain wash over me as I shut out the rest of the world. I'll deal with the fallout, make plans, see my father ... tomorrow. But tonight, I wallow in my grief.

* * *

The next morning, I watch through the window as my father rests in the makeshift sick bay, Alice tending to him and my mother keeping vigil at his bedside. I've done my best to let him know I care, that I'm concerned for his well-being, but I allow them their privacy. It's been too many years since they've been together, and I know how it feels to be reunited with your love. Before I can allow myself to go down that grief-paved road, a strong arm wraps around my shoulders.

"How are you doing this morning, Bella?" Carlisle asks quietly from beside me.

"As well as can be expected," I rasp, my throat sore from all the crying I've done in the last several hours. I turn to look up at him. "But I'm happy my father is back."

"I'm sure you are. And they tell me his exposure levels weren't too high."

I nod.

"That's very, very good, Bella. He should make a full recovery."

We both turn back to the window and silence settles between us.

Several minutes pass before he speaks. "There was a briefing a little while ago."

"Is he dead?" I whisper.

"No. At least he wasn't when they jumped."

"How do you know for sure?"

He hesitates, if only briefly. "His comm was left on until they made the jump, so we know he was alive when they left our airspace."

I turn abruptly, staring into my would-be father-in-law's eyes.

"Once we were able to review the audio, separate the voices from the chaos, we were able to get a better idea of what happened," he continues.

"What happened?"

He sighs heavily, the weight of the world seemingly on his shoulders. "He stayed behind to cover the men who helped see your father and the others safely off the carrier." He pauses. "According to Black and Newton, they were under fire, and Edward chose to stay behind ..." He hesitates.

"What? What is it, Carlisle?"

"I want you to remember he holds the position of commander, Bella," he says cautiously.

"I know that," I say slowly. "What does that have anything to do with what happened out there? What aren't you telling me?" I demand.

Carlisle once again wraps a protective arm around me, pulling me closer as he speaks. "Even if he hadn't told his men what he had, it would still have fallen on his shoulders to lead them ... protect them."

"What did he do?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

I can sense it pains him as much to say it as it does for me to hear it when Carlisle hesitates. "He told Newton he wanted to make sure your father got back to you safely."

"He ..." I swallow past the lump forming in my throat. "He volunteered to stay behind?"

Carlisle gazes through the window of my father's room, a look of sadness on his face. "Edward always knew how much your father meant to you." He turns to look down at me. "He also knows how important Admiral Swan is to the cause. Having the information your father gathered is valuable in so many ways. Many people are counting on us to stop what's going on down there. Their very lives may depend on it."

I turn back to look into my father's room, my arms wrapped tightly around my middle, trying to close the gaping hole Edward's absence has put there. I know he loves me, that was never a question. But this is my biggest fear come to life, one of my reasons for refusing his proposal when I first arrived on Aurora. It also confirms what he told me; refusing him wasn't a guarantee my heart wouldn't get broken, that nothing would separate us. I know exactly what he would do if our roles were reversed.

A wave of determination washes over me. "When does the team to retrieve him leave?"

"I'm not sure," he says softly. "They're still in the planning stages."

I turn to him, the resolve clear in my words. "When it does, I _will_ be on that shuttle." I look back to the frail man in his bed, his wife at his side, and for the first time in a long time, feel pangs of jealousy; a longing for what my heart knows it's missing.

"He didn't stop until he found me, and I plan to do the same."

* * *

 **A/N: Remember, you can see teasers and pics in my Facebook group, Sunshine Fics. See you Friday! ;)**

 **Lots of love**

 **~Sunshine**


	8. Chapter 8

**C** **hapter 8**

 **Edward**

Guarding the controls to the airlock of the hangar, I fire another round at the incoming men. Even with keeping watch through the glass of the small control room as my men launch, I'm able to land my shot. It finds purchase in the chest of one of the soldiers doing their best to overtake me. I know it's a kill shot when he falls to the ground and doesn't move. They've yet to fire any weapons at me, though.

"You and your fuckwit friends trying to kill us all? Rip a hole in the hull?" one of them yells. "There's a reason we don't use ammunition up here, you idiot!"

"I'm only an idiot if I miss," I yell out my reply as I take aim from my concealed position. I shoot another round into the small group of men and take down another one of them.

I'm so focused on my aim, I miss the pair sneaking up to attack me from the side. The breath is knocked out of me when they land a harsh blow to my middle with a baton, the electric shock catching me off guard, and the hits just keep on coming.

"Not so confident now, are you?" one of them sneers as I struggle to take a breath.

"Confident enough," I say with a growl.

Before it registers I've wriggled out of their grasp, I momentarily have the upper hand, using their stunned state against them. My hands reach for the blades I have hidden in my boots, and I slash out at the man nearest me.

His scream only spurs me on, and I let my inner, trained soldier take over. I stay close to my opponents, giving them little room to use their batons, and I can tell they haven't been trained for hand-to-hand combat as I have.

My movements are quick, succinct, and in the case of one of them, deadly. I take advantage of my position and grab onto the one facing me, spinning him around and into a headlock. It's the one I've wounded, the points where my blades have made contact, bleeding. He grabs at my forearm as it wraps around his neck, my other hand holding his head to my shoulder as I draw my blade across his throat.

Before I can drop the dead man from my arms, the other one slams into me.

"Son of a bitch," I roar as this asshole lands a blow to my flank, the charge from his electrified baton sending a jolt through my body, and he doesn't let up. My vision clouds with each zap, the pain becoming unbearable.

It isn't until close to another ten men come into my distorted view, batons and Tasers in hand, that I know I'm screwed. I was able to fight off the first few, leaving this last one to take his shot at me, but with a fresh wave of armed opposition, my resolve begins to weaken, even if my fight doesn't.

I continue to struggle as more hands join in the assault, but the added batons and accompanying shocks are more than my body can take. The jolts of electricity are now leaving black spots in my vision as I fall to my knees.

"Enough!" a commanding, yet feminine voice calls out over the chaos.

I blink away the haze to see a woman, blonde and slight in stature, but her presence is intimidating. Her unnaturally bright, blue eyes blaze down on me as I'm kneeling on the floor, several hands holding me down.

"Is he the only one you found?" she asks the men surrounding me.

"Yes, Ma'am." His response is quick. "He covered the hangar control room so the others could escape."

"And Admiral Swan?" she asks, her eyes never leaving mine.

"Gone, Ma'am." His tone is contrite, apologetic, and the woman is quick to react. Her head snaps up to meet his eyes, but she finds his gaze focused on his boots.

"Pity," she says coldly before looking back to me. "I want him restrained until we land on the surface."

When she turns to leave us, I begin to struggle once more, the batons making a reappearance.

"Fuck!" I howl in pain when one of the men lands a hit low on my abdomen, beneath my navel and just inches above my dick. The pain is so intense, it sends a wave of nausea over me, causing my already kneeled position to crumble as I curl in on myself to ward off future blows.

The woman halts her retreating steps and heaves a heavy sigh before turning back to us. "Do I have to do everything myself?" she quietly mutters as she steps closer to me.

While I'm still in a prone position on the floor, groaning while trying not to vomit, she crouches beside me, pulling a small, black box from her pocket. She holds it to my neck and presses a button.

"This might hurt a little," she says with an evil glint in her eyes.

It's only a sharp sting at first, but then it's followed by a warming sensation filing my whole body. The pain from the hit so close to my cock is momentarily gone before the warming turns to burning; the pain like nothing I've ever experienced. What's worse, I can't move; I'm completely incapacitated, paralyzed from the top of my head to the soles of my feet.

She leans in close, whispering in my ear. "I'm not sure yet who you are, but I will find out. And when I do, I'm going to make an example of you to all the fools on Volterra who think they can try and escape. Admiral Swan may have gotten away from us, but I'll be sure you suffer in his place."

She stands abruptly, turning around and walking away from my involuntarily writhing form. "Be sure he doesn't choke on his tongue," she calls over her shoulder. "We're about to jump, so"—she waves a hand haphazardly in the air—"strap him down or throw him in a stasis pod or something."

My vision begins to cloud as the men haul me to my useless feet, dragging me down hallways until I'm tossed into a small, enclosed space. As they strap me in, the carrier shudders to life, the jump drive likely being fired up.

"Have a safe trip, boy," the man says with a laugh as he slaps my cheek, my head lolling to one side.

The only way I can mentally cope with the clusterfuck I've found myself in is knowing my men and Admiral Swan are safely off the carrier, and the attack on Aurora was stopped; that everyone there is safe for now. So, I allow the darkness that's been creeping around the edges of my consciousness to swallow me; my final thoughts, of Bella.

' _I'm sorry I couldn't come back to you. I love you.'_

* * *

Awareness seeps in slowly, the smells and sounds around me, foreign. I can't move my head to look around, my muscles still seized from whatever that tiny, blonde-haired, blue-eyed witch did to me, but I can open my eyes.

I'm no longer in the small, enclosed space I was shoved into on the carrier, and light is streaming in through the small window across the room. Since I can't move my head, I strain my eyes to look around.

I'm lying on a metal table in a relatively small, nondescript room, the walls a yellowed beige, enhanced only by the light coming from the window. The more I focus on it, the warmer it becomes. The heat catches me off guard, though. The radiant, glowing heat seems to be at odds with the stark sterility of the room. But I don't think about it for very long before I'm no longer alone.

"I see you're finally awake." The familiar voice comes from my left. My eyes flash to hers as she steps through the doorway. "I'd say I hope you're comfortable, but I'd be lying." She settles into a chair at my bedside, crossing one bare, lithe leg over the other. I only now take notice of her clothing. It's not the thick uniform she wore on the carrier. No, she's now adorned in far less, dressed now in scraps and straps, buckles and ties holding it all together.

I grunt my irritation at her presence, only making her snicker.

"Oh, I'm not entirely thrilled to have you here, either, _Commander_ _Cullen_."

My eyes narrow at her statement.

"You didn't think we wouldn't figure out who you were, did you?" she asks. "Give us some credit." She leans in close to whisper. "Though, I did have fun overseeing the inspection process." Her eyes trail down my body before returning to mine. "A lot of fun."

She leans back in her chair, her eyes never leaving mine. "But now that we know _who_ you are, we also know how _important_ you are to the cause; who your family is."

I use all my strength to voice my thoughts audibly, but it's a struggle. The shock I received is still affecting me. I'm unable to speak, so my sounds come out more like deep growls than words. My voice only rises in volume and intensity until I'm trembling with the need to speak the words.

The evil bitch only laughs at my struggle as she rises to her feet. "It should take most of the day for the effects of my little gadget to wear off, so rest now." She once again leans in close. "Because when you're all better, I plan to work you to the bone."

She sashays from the room, and I'm left with only the echoes of the latch clicking closed.

* * *

I wouldn't describe my muscles as weak, but tired, as I attempt to dress in the clothing I've been given. The thin fabric is a welcome sight, given what I think is waiting to greet me on the other side of these walls. In the last day, waiting for my body to awaken part by part, at certain times the heat has been so intense, it's felt like I'm baking in this tiny room.

The man watching me isn't allowing me any privacy as I dress, his eyes on me constantly; like I'm about to fight my way from the room. And he'd be right under other circumstances if it weren't for my uncooperative body. The moment I slip the provided sandals on my feet, his gruff voice is heard from his spot near the door.

"Finally ready?"

I nod, my voice not entirely back.

"Oh, one more thing," he says before stepping toward the door. He pulls a thin, metal ring from his pocket and attaches it around my neck; a collar of sorts. My brow furrows, and he answers my unasked question. "New safety protocol since the Admiral managed to escape," he says with a wink. "I hear it gives quite the jolt."

He wrenches open the door, and I follow him out into the hallway. Another guard falls in behind me. With every step forward, the heat increases. When the path beneath my feet creeps up in an incline, I realize for the first time, the structure we're in is at least partially underground.

The light increases with the number of windows, and soon I'm pushed through a doorway and out into the sweltering heat and blinding light. It's nothing like Aurora, or Cordia, or even what I've heard of Phoenix. It's bright, hot and oppressive, and I know without a doubt I'll fight until my dying breath to leave.

"Hope you're a hard worker, Cullen," the man behind me says. "Because you'll be working for your food and water." He and the other man laugh while I take in my surroundings with calculating eyes.

The one who led us outside slaps a hand to my shoulder. "Let's get you where you need to be." He begins to walk, leading me in the direction of a group of chained workers. He looks back over his shoulder, a smirk on his face. "Oh, and by the way, welcome to Volterra."

* * *

 **A/N: Remember, you can see teasers and pics in my Facebook group, Sunshine Fics. See you Tuesday!**

 **Lots of love**

 **~Sunshine**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Break's over!" The guard's voice calls out over our group of twenty. "Back to work."

With groans and shuffling feet, we all take our places in line to get back to chipping away at the walls of the Thanium mine. With its unstable nature, mechanical extraction isn't an option. Even the Thanium cache we have on Aurora, where we hold the highly volatile but extremely powerful and valuable fuel for mission specific uses, is in an underground facility. The fact that extended exposure can be physically harmful is another reason to keep it under lock and key.

As we walk back to our assigned spots, the brush of an elbow to my back causes me to turn around, my defenses up. The thin, dark-haired boy I met just hours ago is beside me, his hand frozen to the top of his head as he stares at me with wide, terrified eyes.

"Sss ... ssorry, sir," he whispers.

"Nothing to be sorry for." I glance around to see if anyone is paying us any attention before I crouch down enough to be at eye level with the boy. "What's your name?"

He doesn't answer me at first, instead, narrowing his dark, untrusting eyes on me. "Who wants to know?"

His furrowed brow and serious expression make me throw my head back and laugh at his spirit. It's a welcome moment of levity I regret the moment a blow comes to my already battered side.

"What the hell is so funny, Cullen?" I don't have to make eye contact with the guard to know he's already looking at the boy for answers, because those eyes, previously so serious and dark, are now focused on him, once again wide and terrified.

"Just thinking of ways to kill all you baton-wielding assholes when I finally find a way off this godforsaken moon."

The boy's eyes flash to mine. His terrified expression has morphed into one of shock; as if he can't believe someone would stand up to these trained monkeys. But the look of regret on the boy's face when the guard unleashes his anger on me is almost more painful than the beating I endure.

"You okay?" The boy's voice is quiet when he asks later, his gaze jumping from me to the guards standing nearby.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." I lean closer to whisper. "I'm a big guy; I can take it."

The _tap, ting, grind, crunch_ of the work going on around us continues for a beat before he speaks again.

"Why'd you do it?"

"Do what?" I ask, confused.

He shakes his head, frustrated, before turning an irritated eye back to me. "Why didn't you tell them you were laughing at me?"

My arm falls to my side, the weight of the tool in my grip heavy as I drop my head forward with a small smile. I turn to look at him. "Kid, I wasn't laughing at you."

"You weren't?"

"No, I was laughing at the look on your face."

"Isn't that the same thing as laughing at me?" he asks, growing more irritated.

I shake my head. "No, it's not." I turn fully to face him. "How old are you?" I ask, my question confusing him.

He hesitates, but answers anyway. "Twelve."

I nod, expecting as much, even if he's so small, so emaciated, he can easily pass for nine or ten at most. "Let's just say the look on your face surprised me."

"Why?"

"You've got courage kid, that's all." I shake my head and turn back to my work. "It took a lot of guts for you to stand up to a guy my size, one you don't know, and question me. And if we're going to do anything to get ourselves home, we need people with that kind of courage"—I look back down at him—"that kind of determination." His smile as he turns back to his work is small, shy, and it brings one to my own face, knowing I'm the one who put it there.

We work alongside each other in silence for a while before he whispers something I can't decipher.

"What?" I ask, unable to hear him.

"Ben," he repeats. "My name's Ben."

"Nice to meet you, Ben. I'm Edward."

He nods his acknowledgment, and we continue until we're called to quit for the day.

Ben has slowly warmed up to me. It took him a few days, but after sharing my meager portion of food with him and then taking the blame for an incident involving him and a broken tool, Ben and I have become fast friends.

It's been nearly a week since I woke on Volterra, since I was dragged out into the blinding light and into the mines. I've quickly learned to keep my head down, my mouth shut, and my ears open. I've also learned which of the guards still have a sliver of human decency left in their dark souls. They're the ones who will allow you an extra gulp of water before ordering you back to work, the ones who only strike once with their electrified batons instead of three, which will bring you to your weary knees.

We work from before the dawn breaks until after dusk, only stopping to care for the most basic of needs; meals only occasionally being one of them. In the six days I've been here, I've only eaten three real meals. I've actually been served five, but the gaunt looks on some of the faces of the children broke my resolve, and I found myself insisting Ben and a few of the other children shared my rations. I know I need to keep up my strength, but looking into the eyes of a child and seeing them beg with only a look is too much to ignore.

"Ed?" Ben asks his voice low to keep the attention of the guards off us.

"Yeah, bud?"

"I'm still thirsty."

I heave a heavy sigh. "I know, Ben, me too. But we get another drink in a few hours." I ruffle his hair, trying to get a smile out of him. And this time, it works.

I've come to realize one of the hardest parts of being here is watching the children work alongside the adults. The older ones, if they can swing a pickax, they're collared like the rest of us and put to work. It's hard enough to watch them struggle, but to know I'm powerless to do anything about it is maddening. What's worse are the whispers I hear about the youngest children brought to Volterra.

No one's seen them since they arrived.

At night we're led to caves on Volterra's surface, to old, exhausted and abandoned mine shafts, the retreating light taking with it the heat of the day, leaving bone-deep cold in its absence. It's in the darkness when some of us let our guard down, to allow the reality of our situation to seep in, and we let go. While some of the men, women, and children cry under the cover of darkness, others murmur their prayers to gods I'm not sure are listening. Others quietly seek solace in the bodies of each other, finding comfort where they can. Me? I use the time to organize my thoughts, to commit to memory the things I've seen in the light throughout the day. If I ever get the chance to escape, if my rescue never comes and I have to depend on myself to get out of here, I don't want a faulty memory to be my downfall.

Even now, lying here in the dark, these thoughts bring angry tears to my eyes, strengthening my resolve to find a way to free these people; people who only wanted a better life, people who wanted a fresh start on Phoenix, away from the corruption and discord on Cordia.

I know the Coalition has been working on plans to put an end to the madness here on Volterra, but those plans have been in development for years, and there's no way to know if my capture is enough to spur them to action. I can only hope Admiral Swan's rescue speeds up their timeline.

"Ed?" The small voice whispers from my right.

"Yeah, Ben?"

"I'm cold."

I scrub a hand over my face, trying to focus my attention on the young boy I've come to care for in the last few days. Twelve years old is too young to be faced with the horrors life can bring. Twelve is too young to lose both parents at the hands of angry guards. He's lost so much since being brought to Volterra, and if my friendship and protection can offer him any comfort, I'll do my best to be what he needs.

"Well, come on over here."

He scoots until he's just beside me, close but not quite touching.

"Thanks," he whispers.

"Don't mention it."

We lie here in silence, listening to the quiet sniffling and murmured voices, coughs breaking the artificial peace of the night until he reaches for my hand and speaks.

"Tell me about her again, please?"

Last night, I'd mentioned Bella, and how she was like my own angel, a light that guided me to find her. Ben had laughed it off, saying angels didn't exist, but I could tell his interest was piqued when he asked me questions all day today.

I squeeze his small hand in mine in return. "About Bella?"

"Yeah."

So I do. I tell him about how I met her when I was a boy, younger than he is now, and how we were best friends. I tell him about her smile, about her laugh, and how we were apart for a long time, but the stars brought her back to me.

"Then why are you here? Why aren't you with her?"

The smile I had while telling him all about my Bella falls, and I have to swallow the sudden lump in my throat. I explain in simple terms I hope he can understand.

"Because I had a job to do. I had to make sure she and all the people she loves are safe."

"But doesn't she love you?"

I look down into his trusting eyes. "She does." I grin. "And I'd bet my right arm she's more than a little pissed at me for leaving her."

* * *

The work continues, with no real respite in sight, and it's taking a toll on my body. I have no idea how someone Ben's size has been able to keep up. There's very little chance for rest, the men in charge of the crews are more like slave drivers ... which I guess they are, using whips and the electrified collars and batons to remind us of our position.

Even in the recesses of the caves and caverns we mine in, the heat finds its way to us, making it even more difficult to do what the guards ask.

One of the women at the end of our line shrieks, breaking the relative quiet of the cavern. The guard has her hair gripped in his hand, her head pulled back, and a look of absolute rage on his face.

On instinct, I drop my tools and start in her direction, the exchange only getting more heated. Ben, though, reaches for me, his small hand trying to hold me back.

"You stupid bitch! What do you think you're doing?" The guard is so worked up, spittle is flying as he yells at her.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" She's on her knees, begging.

"Sure, sweetheart. That's what they all say."

"Hey!" I interject as I step toward him, causing the guard to look my way. "I'm sure she didn't mean it, whatever it was. It's just a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding?" He fumbles in his pocket. "I'll show you misunderstanding." With that, he presses a button on his handheld device and a shock bites into my neck, spreading through my body, bringing me to my knees.

And I'll never know for sure what the woman did, because as I lie on the ground, the shock still vibrating through me, the guard removes a weapon from his belt and fires a shot to her head.

* * *

Several days pass, the mood of our small crew, somber. The woman who died worked at the far end of our line, so I didn't know her name, but I don't have to. Even nameless and faceless, I know I'll do whatever I can to avenge her death and that of those like her, to free every man, woman, and child from this prison.

Even Ben has been quiet; his usual questions at night about Bella or the base on Aurora, stifled. I have to wonder if he'll ever recover from the terrible things he's seen here.

"Cullen!" The bark of a guard I've not yet seen gets my attention, causing me to look up. "Your presence is requested," he says with a sneer.

I hand off my tools to the man who works on my left, I give Ben at my right a reassuring squeeze to the shoulder, and I follow the guard out of the cavern and into the unknown.

It's quite a walk, but we eventually arrive at a door similar to the one that led me out of the underground building I was first held in when I arrived. The door is pushed open, and I'm led down a staircase into a hallway, and through several passages, before reaching what appears to be a conference room.

Once I'm urged inside, I take in my surroundings. Several men, all dressed in military garb, are huddled around maps spread out on a table, their conversation too quiet for me to hear. When the door behind me closes, they look up, and I'm met with the face of the man responsible for this atrocity.

"Commander Cullen! So glad you could join us." His arrogant stance and smarmy smile make my blood boil.

I nod, clenching my jaw. "Sorry I can't say the same, Caius."

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Remember, you can see teasers and pics in my Facebook group, Sunshine Fics. See you Friday! ;)**

 **Lots of love**

 **~Sunshine**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Now, is that any way to greet me?" Caius' smile doesn't change; it's frozen on his face as he dismisses the two men who've been hovering over the maps spread before him. He steps closer to me but stays just out of reach. "Please, have a seat."

I consider telling him where he can shove his seat, but the look on his face makes me rethink it. I begrudgingly sit, crossing my arms as I do.

"The guards tell me you're ... _adjusting_ to life on Volterra." His expression gives away nothing.

My hands clench into fists under my arms as I try and rein in my anger at the piece of shit staring me down. "If that's what they say," I offer, my jaw tight.

"And your accommodations?" He looks me over, taking in my sunburned skin, my peeling lips, the scrapes, blisters, and bruises littered all over my body, and I'm sure the toll this place is taking on me is obvious.

"Not fit for a dog ... _Sir_ ," I say in mock respect.

Caius breathes a small laugh through his nose and turns to walk toward the chair at the head of the table. "Ah, well, I'd say I'm surprised by your answer, but your reputation precedes you, Commander, so I'm not surprised in the least. Given your family history of defiance of the Federation, I expected as much from you. Not to mention your name has come up many times over the years when our transports have gone missing." He sits and rests his elbows on the table, his fingers steepled under his chin. "Now, the question is, what am I going to do with you now that I've got you? Hmm?"

The door behind me opens and clicks closed, but I don't dare take my eyes off the man seated in front of me.

"Sorry, I'm late. We had an issue with one of the workers." The voice of the evil she-witch sends a ripple of unease down my spine. I have to wonder why she's a part of this meeting.

"There's no need for an apology, dear," Caius says. "We were just getting started." He waves an arm, pointing at the chair beside him. "Please, Jane, join us."

She eyes me appreciatively as she walks to the proffered seat, her perusal making me more than a little uncomfortable.

Caius sighs at her obvious ogling. "Do you think we could get to the matter at hand, Jane," he asks curtly.

"Of course, Ambassador." Her tone is contrite, but her expression is anything but.

"As I was saying before you joined us, I need to decide what I'm going to do with Commander Cullen. I'm sure, with his family's connections, they'll be willing to negotiate for his release. Which is what we had hoped to do with Admiral Swan, but ... Well, we all know how that ended. He didn't appreciate our hospitality."

"Hospitality? It's more like incarceration; a prison for people who did nothing wrong," I scoff.

"Yes, Cullen, _hospitality_. You're fed and clothed, given a place to sleep. I think that is hospitality by its very definition."

"Oh, yeah, wonderful hospitality. If you step out of line, you're shot on site." My eyes narrow in defiance.

"Yes, well, we have had some rather unfortunate incidences of late, haven't we?" he says with a slight nod. "But I'm sure you understand our need to keep the workers in line. If there are no repercussions for wayward behavior, how will we keep things in order?" He waves a hand, dismissing the conversation. "But all that is neither here nor there. We've strayed far off topic. My mistake when Admiral Swan arrived was not acting fast enough. Things weren't in order on Cordia just yet, and I failed to take advantage of my position."

"And what position was that?" I ask, growing more agitated by the second.

He looks at me blankly for a moment. "I was in a position to negotiate with the fools on Cordia, and I didn't take advantage of it. If they had known I had a member of their cabinet in my custody, why that could have changed everything."

My frustration is only growing with not understanding his point. "Changed what? How would having the Admiral given you any kind of position?"

"If he had agreed with my views, stood by me, we could have convinced the Cordian government to join us in my endeavors. But," he says with a sigh, "Admiral Swan was regretfully uncooperative with my plans. He was morally opposed to the idea, even if it could have benefitted the people of Cordia."

"How would it have benefitted them? What the hell could you possibly gain by taking all these people to mine a resource we have a very limited use for and already had access to?"

He studies me for a moment, his eyes narrowing. "Do you know the meaning of the word _ambassador_ , Commander?" he asks me as if I'm dense.

"Of course I do. You were a go-between Cordia and several other planets." I lower my voice, my words mumbled. "And we can all see where your loyalties lie."

He sighs, shaking his head. "I spent my life doing what I could to establish pleasant relations between Cordia and our neighboring planets. But in the end, I realized humans are selfish creatures. They will always, first and foremost, look out for themselves. And at the end of the day, selfishness and greed will win out every time. Even back when we all lived on one planet, it was every man for himself."

"What does that have to do with—"

"Cullen, I'm sure you've heard the stories. They were taught to us as children. The watered-down version of how Cordians left Earth for a better life; to settle where there would be peace and harmony. When our ancestors left Earth all those centuries ago, every man, woman, and child had an ideal of what they wanted their lives to look like when they settled elsewhere. Promises of new lives and better conditions are what drew the billions of people to leave.

"But every nation had a different belief system, a different government, a different economy. The wealthier the nation, the better the chances of its citizens being approved for one of the more promising planets. And those who weren't fortunate enough to land on Cordia or Porta or one of the other wealthier planets were sent to smaller planets where it took generations for them to prosper. To say it caused bitter relations would be an understatement. None of the other planets held to the same belief system as those who settled Cordia. I mean, it's obvious they couldn't agree on how to govern themselves. For the human race to even survive, they had to leave Earth, so it isn't a surprise those planets couldn't agree on all Federation policies."

I sit quietly, taking in everything he's telling me, wondering what the hell it has to do with where we are now.

"And as an ambassador, I came to know some of the leaders of the other planets rather well. Some of them are just looking out for their well-being, for their people, and others ... Well, others are looking to further their own agendas. So when the leaders on Cordia wouldn't listen to my advice, to align themselves with some of these planets, I took it upon myself to strengthen those relations." He pauses, tilting his head. "You do realize this is a moon, do you not?"

"I do. It orbits an uninhabited planet." The smirk on Caius' face causes my statement to die on my tongue. "Right?" I question.

"Well, that's the _official_ story; what we've all been led to believe. But the truth is, it's very much inhabited. Cordian officials haven't yet made their existence public because, so far, Aeonia has been unwilling to join them in the Federation. Their leaders are ... reluctant, and Cordia would rather keep Aeonia's existence under wraps ... for now."

"And what do they have to do with all this? With you kidnapping people and bringing them to slave camps?" I ask angrily.

"It has everything to do with it, Cullen. The people on Aeonia don't want to involve themselves in the politics of joining the Federation, but they also realize the potential benefits they would have if they did. My contact with them has been ... beneficial to us both."

"So, what? They're getting the Thanium we're digging out of the ground? People are dying for it! What could you possibly be getting in return that would justify losing lives over?"

His evil smile makes my skin crawl. "Because when people settled on Aeonia, they weren't the only ones _on_ Aeonia." He lets his words hang in the air for a moment, their meaning slowly dawning on me.

"Other life forms?" I whisper as I slowly slump back in my chair.

His chuckle reverberates around the room. "Oh, not just any life forms, but life forms which seem to have an extraordinarily long lifespan. And I don't just mean decades, I mean _centuries_." He leans forward, his voice lowered but excited. "And here's the best part. Their reproduction is compatible with human DNA."

I clear my throat, the implications of what he's saying making me nauseous. "And that's why they didn't want to join the Federation?"

"Of course. Can you imagine if other planets knew about their little secret? They'd be invaded; their people would be taken and possibly experimented on." He shakes his head. "They simply won't allow it."

"But how do you ... how does all this"—I widen my arms—"come into play? Why the mining? Why take people from Cordia?"

"Because the Aeonians use more Thanium than any other planet. They only have limited sources of it on the surface, and they don't have the equipment or manpower to mine it, nor the firepower to defend it, or themselves, really. And even if they did, I doubt they'd be willing to expose their people to the dangers of direct exposure to it, which is where I come in."

Knowing the answer to my next question is one of the missing puzzle pieces, I ask, "What do they use the Thanium for?"

"That's the best part. They've been able to manipulate it, to alter its composition to use it on the humans still living on Aeonia; to alter their lifespans, give them a glimpse of ... immortality."

I swallow down the bile rising in my throat, knowing exactly what's in it for Caius and the others he has working for him. "And they've promised you ... " My words trail off, my mind spinning at the new information.

"Of course. What kind of fool would I be to pass up that opportunity? And once I have centuries of time in my future ... Well, the possibilities are endless, are they not?"

Seconds, minutes, maybe hours pass as I process all I've learned. The implications of this are far-reaching, and I'm not sure what to think. As I let it all sink in, I'm so focused on my thoughts, I don't realize Caius is speaking.

"So, what do you say?"

"What?" I ask, shaking my head to clear it.

"I asked if you would like to join us. You can clearly see how this could benefit you, your family, even. Join us and reap the benefits."

"And if I don't?"

"Well, then you'll need to consider your options while here on Volterra."

"Which are what, exactly?"

"If you choose not to join us, to try and convince those men and women on Aurora to side with us, you really only have two options. One, you can go back on the line and hope a bullet ends you before the Thanium exposure does, or two, Jane here has convinced me to offer you the position of ... a _companion_ of sorts for her. You're a smart man, so I'm sure you'll make the right choice."

* * *

"So what did they want to talk to you about, Ed?" Ben asks as we stand side by side, chipping away at the walls of the cavern.

"They just needed to ask me a few questions, bud, nothing important." I reach over to ruffle his hair. His grin prompts one of my own, and I know I've made the right decision. I need to do all in my power to fight to free these people, set things right, no matter what the cost.

I tilt my head up to the bright sky, and the heat warms my skin as I squeeze my eyes closed. My thoughts are for a woman a galaxy away.

" _I love you Bella, and I'm going to do whatever I can to get back to you."_

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, guys, I'm not gonna lie. The next couple chapters are rough. The next couple of chapters will be difficult to read for most of you, and they will ABSOLUTELY earn the warnings I've given for this story. If you have ANY concerns, please, do NOT hesitate to PM me.**

 **Remember, you can see teasers and pics in my Facebook group, Sunshine Fics. See you Tuesday!**

 **Lots of love**

 **~Sunshine**


	11. Chapter 11

*****A/N: Okay, everybody, we're approaching sensitive subjects. This chapter and the next could be a difficult read for many of you. If you have any triggers or hard limits please message me BEFORE reading. I welcome feedback, but no flames please. You have had fair warning to jump ship. ;) And for those of you needing to know when the worst will be over, we'll be back to BPOV in chapter 13. I haven't been able to reply to all reviews, but I will reply to direct questions and concerns. Please keep in mind I'll be traveling this week, so my response might take a bit of time.*****

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

"So what do you think that's all about?" Ben discreetly nods his head in the direction of our assigned guard for the day.

"What?" I turn my head to see what he's talking about. The guard and Jane seem to be in a heated discussion, and I turn back to my work before they catch us gawking. "Not sure, bud, but we better just keep our heads down if we want to keep them."

Ben is distracted by the commotion, though, so I do my best to steer his attention back to what he should be doing.

"Ignore it, Ben. It's not worth the flogging you'd get for being nosey."

He nods, albeit reluctantly, and gets back to work.

The blazing heat of the day seeps into the shallow cavern where we're working. And even though we've only been at it for a few hours, my body is already weary. The two weeks I've been here have done a lot to acclimate me to the harsh conditions, my muscles are now used to the intense labor, the once blistered skin of my hands are now forming callouses, but I'm still not used to the heat. And breaks for the water our bodies so desperately need are few and far between, making it that much more difficult.

The yelp from my side has me gripping the tool in my hand, my body gearing up for a fight as I turn. When I see it's Ben being yanked from the line and dragged away, it takes the strong grip of the man working on the other side of me to hold me back.

"Hold up, Cullen," Alistair whispers close to my ear. "You don't know what they want."

I struggle against his hold. "Does it matter?" I say through gritted teeth. "He's just a kid! What could they possibly want from him?" I finally break free from his grasp when Ben cries out.

"Ed! Ed, help, please!"

They drag him toward a waiting surface transport as he kicks and screams. "What the hell are you doing?" I yell as I push past Alistair's attempts at holding me back.

The guard lashes out with his baton, stunning me with the shock to my side. Even after all these weeks, after all the hits I've taken, the pain still brings me to my knees.

"Back in line, Cullen! It's nothing to concern you." He has the dreaded _box_ in his hand, the one that will deliver an immobilizing shock to my neck, and his thumb is hovering over the button. It's just enough to make me pause, to consider all my options. Past experience tells me to quit while I'm ahead. I swallow down the regret at not being able to do more to help Ben. If he zaps me with that thing, I'll be no use to Ben, or anyone else for that matter, for the rest of the day.

"What the fuck are you thinking?" Alistair whispers as he helps me to my feet and pulls me back to the line, all while watching the guard over his shoulder. "You trying to get yourself killed?"

My eyes are trained on the transport, my body coiled tight, as I watch Ben being loaded into the back, and Jane getting in next to the driver, her face smug when she catches sight of me.

Alistair's slap to my chest brings my attention back to him. "It's not worth it, man. Just focus on your job, and nobody gets hurt." He keeps glancing in the direction of the guard while he speaks before completely focusing on me. " _Not worth it_ ," he repeats.

"How can you even say that?" My angry words rise over the sounds around us, getting the unwanted attention of the guard, so I lower my voice. "Ben is just a kid, and he was just dragged off like an animal. Who knows what they're going to do to him. How can you say it's not worth it? That _he's_ not worth it?"

He looks directly at me without a second thought. "Because this time it's him and not us."

* * *

Days pass after Ben is taken. Hours of backbreaking work every day give me nothing but time to think about the hopeless situation I've found myself in, and the despair begins to creep into my subconscious. All the years of my training for something like this, and after nearly a month here, I'm a weak, pathetic version of the man I was. I _know_ the people on Aurora are formulating plans to attack Volterra, but I have no way of knowing _when._ It only adds to my feelings of hopelessness.

That despair, coupled with the looks I get from not only the guards but also some of the other prisoners, puts me on edge. Like they know something I don't. Even some of the whispered words I overhear in the dark of night make me feel like I'm losing my goddamn mind. And when I'm called from my bed, I know something is very wrong.

"Cullen!"

I turn in the direction of the voice, searching the darkness for who's calling for me. I spot two guards, guards I don't recognize, waiting at the mouth of the cave. I struggle to my feet, my aching muscles protesting their temporary respite being cut short, and shuffle my way past the bodies resting in my path.

"Come on." The larger of the two points the way. "Someone wants to see you." I follow the smaller one out into the dark with the other close behind me, and they load me into a surface transport. We bump along the uneven terrain for a while, my eyes drifting closed until yet another bump startles me awake. I feel defeated, so weak I can't even keep my damn eyes open, but I'm powerless to stop it.

The transport rolls to a stop and the guards get out, the larger one coming around to unload me. As I stumble to my feet, I look around. The building before me isn't the one I was led to when I met with Caius. No, this one is bigger; not taller, but a larger footprint, most of it dug into the ground below us.

I'm nudged from behind, and I follow along dutifully, led inside like a trained animal. The interior can only be described as comfortable. The soft lighting and cool temperature simultaneously relaxes me and makes me tense. The click of heels getting louder as the entryway opens to a larger room brings my footsteps to a halt.

"Commander Cullen! So glad you could join me!" Jane turns to the two guards who have escorted me up to this point. "You can go now. Thank you for delivering the Commander."

The two exchange puzzled glances. "Are you sure, Ma'am? This one has been known to be difficult."

She huffs in exasperation. "Of course I'm sure. Just leave his control unit with me, and we'll be just fine." Her open hand waves in their direction, palm up, and the smaller one hands her _the_ _box_ before scurrying from the room.

We stare at each other, sizing up one another. She's finally the one to break the silence.

"You know ..." She circles me once, twice, her fingertips grazing my overly sensitive skin, humming as she does. "I'm a bit surprised you didn't all out attack the guards the day that little boy was taken from your crew."

Her nonchalant tone has my hackles up as she speaks about Ben. "Where is he?" I ask through gritted teeth.

"Ah ah ah." She moves to stand directly in front of me. "You of all people should know how vital it is to not let our enemies know when something, or _someone_ is important to us." Her fingertips run along my jaw, down my throat, her open palms finally settling on my bare chest. "But the question is ... how important?"

I don't speak, but my unease and breathing increase with her perusal. Her abrupt turn surprises me, and she takes several steps away toward another corridor. When I don't immediately follow, she calls over her shoulder.

"Well, come on, Cullen. There's something you need to see."

* * *

"So, if you want Ben to be released and kept here in the safety of my private quarters, all you have to do is agree to my request."

"Request," I scoff under my breath.

"And it's not like you wouldn't reap the benefits too; no more days spent in the mines, a comfortable bed to sleep in, and food every day. You would both have all the benefits available on Volterra."

As great as all that might sound to anyone else out there fighting over water and scraps, I could give a shit less what they're offering me. But knowing it's an offer for Ben changes things. Standing on this side of the one-way mirror separating me from him, my eyes are fixed on the little boy. The despondent look on his face crushes me, and I know I need only agree to Jane's demands, and it will disappear.

"And if I don't? What would happen to him? Would I take his place?"

She sighs. "No, that would be far too easy a choice for you to make, Commander. I already know you're the kind of man who would trade places with that boy in an instant if given the opportunity." She turns and rests her back on the glass, crossing her arms as she meets my eyes. "You and I both know it."

"You still haven't told me what will happen if I don't agree."

"Then he'll return to the mines, away from you, and be placed in one of the crews that happen to be digging a bit deeper."

"Speeding up the exposure," I whisper.

"Yes."

My mind is spinning with all the possible scenarios, all the ways I can get us both out of the mess we're in, and it all comes down to when the strike from Aurora comes. All I need to do is buy us a little time.

I can't pull my eyes from the room. Helpless, innocent Ben, the boy who has already lost so much, could have even more taken from him, and I alone have the power to stop it. "And if I agree?" I whisper. "If I ..." I swallow down the bile trying to escape. "If I agree to be your ... _companion_ ," I spit out through clenched teeth, "you'll release him?"

"I give you my word. But you have to keep up your end of the deal, Cullen. He'll immediately be released from the holding cell and given his own room and enough rations to keep him comfortable."

I'm quiet, absorbing the details she's sharing. "Why me?" I finally ask, my voice rough, gravelly.

"I've been here, supervising things for a few years. A girl can get pretty lonely. And if you haven't noticed, my choices are limited. Being around all these animals Caius has brought here doesn't exactly lend me many options. I've had a few ... _playmates_ , but no one has ever caught my attention quite like you have." She steps closer, her breath hot on the side of my neck. "And let's just say when you were brought in and inspected, I knew I had to do what I could to convince Caius to let me have you." She pulls away, turning her attention back to the boy in the other room. "Even if it's ultimately come to extreme measures."

"And if I refuse?"

"Trust me, Cullen, for Ben's sake, and honestly for yours, too, you don't want to refuse."

It's my turn to step closer, for me to invade her personal space. "I want to see with my own eyes he's been taken out of that goddamn testing chamber and treated, that he's being taken care of, or the deal is off. Do you understand?"

The smirk on her face is conniving, like the snake I know she is. "Completely."

* * *

"Did you see this, Ed?" Ben's tired, but his wide eyes shine with excitement. His voice is still raspy, his body still weak, but his enthusiasm is strong. "I can eat whenever I want. All I have to do is push some buttons on this thing, and someone brings me food." He points to the intercom beside him before settling back into his pillows. "And I get my own bed, too! And my own blankets!"

Seeing him so excited for such simple things brings a sad smile to my face. He's missed so much in his short life. Being able to give him this, a reprieve from work in the mines and maybe an actual shot at getting out of here if I can buy us enough time, is the only thing holding me together.

"I see that." I clear my throat. "How are you feeling?" I ask as I sit on the edge of his small bed.

He shrugs his shoulders. "Still tired and my body feels like it don't work right sometimes, but I feel better than I did when I woke up yesterday."

"That's good. I'm glad you're getting better."

His brow furrows, and his nose scrunches. "I still don't know why I'm here, though. Why do I have a room now? Why do you, when no one else does?"

I reach for his small hand and hold it between my much larger ones. "Well"—I swallow hard past the lump in my throat—"I promised to ... do some work for Jane in exchange for not working in the mines."

He leans close. "I don't like her, Ed. She always looks at people like she's trying to figure out how to hurt them."

"I think you're right, bud. But she's the reason we're in here and not out there, so let's just do our best to enjoy it while we can, okay?"

He nods.

"Have you seen enough?" Even from where she stands in the doorway, Jane's close proximity makes my skin crawl. "Is he satisfactorily settled?"

"I told you after I make sure he's comfortable"—I turn to face her—"I'm all yours," I finish with a sneer.

She rolls her eyes but doesn't respond.

I turn back to Ben. "I have to go, but I'll come back to see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay."

I rise from his bed and step toward the door.

"Hey, Ed?" Ben's shy voice makes me turn to him.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think ... I mean, if it's not too much trouble ..."

"What do you need, Ben?"

"Can you tuck me in?" His voice is so soft I almost can't hear him. His eyes, so unsure and cautious are so different from the eyes I met weeks ago; eyes once so guarded and defiant.

I clear my throat, suddenly overcome with emotion for the boy who's come to mean so much to me in such a short period of time. "I think I can do that."

He settles under his new blankets, and I pull them up under his chin, much like I remember my own mother doing for me. It feels foreign to be the one doing it, but instinctive at the same time.

With his eyes closing and a contented look on his face, he whispers a soft "goodnight." I stand and step back toward the door.

"Ed?"

"Yeah?"

"Promise you'll be here tomorrow?"

"Promise, Ben. Sleep well." I close his door and rest my forehead against its cool surface. "You can guarantee he won't be harmed?" I ask without turning around to look at the evil witch.

"You have my word." She reaches for me, her hand resting softly on my back. "And now it's time for you to keep yours. Who knows? You might even enjoy this." Her touch is gentle, but her tone is anything but. She removes her hand and turns to step down the hall toward what I can only assume are her private quarters. "Come on, Edward."

"I know I won't." I reluctantly turn to follow her, my stomach threatening to crawl up my throat. "And don't ever call me Edward again."

* * *

 **A/N: Still with me? Thanks for reading! Remember, you can see teasers and pics in my Facebook group, Sunshine Fics. See you Friday! ;)**

 **Lots of love**

 **~Sunshine**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: If you're still with me, you should know what's coming. You have had countless warnings. Please take some personal responsibility if you choose to continue reading.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

"I need two more." Ben's voice, while still raspy, is growing stronger with each passing day. His increased energy and the return of his smile make me think he's going to be okay after all.

"Two cards. You got it." I deal him two more from the Ralu deck and watch him stick his tiny, pink tongue out as he contemplates his next move.

I was actually surprised to find the old card game amongst all the shit stored around here. While the structure itself is palatial compared to some we have on Aurora, Jane's quarters hold only the bare minimum of creature comforts. But it's on another plane compared to the caves we were being kept in just a few days ago.

I've found she spends a good part of the day out supervising the crews and staying out of my hair. And while Caius is the one to make physical visits overseeing the constant deliveries of Thanium, Jane is in constant contact with those on the surface of Aeonia.

Her absence leaves Ben and me under the watchful eye of the guards, which in turn gives me ample opportunity to observe them. Their schedules run like clockwork, and they're on a constant rotation, the same guards taking the same shifts every day. And I'm quickly taking notice of the ones who take their post seriously ... and those who don't.

"Ha!" Ben slaps his winning hand on the table. "I win!"

I grin at his enthusiasm. "Beginners luck. Has to be."

"Nope!" He giggles; a sound so new coming from him it makes my chest ache. "I won, fair and square."

"I guess you did." I notice his blinks are becoming heavier and lasting a little longer. "You tired, bud?"

"Yeah, a little. I think I'm gonna go lay down."

I nod, encouraging him to rest. "You do that, and when you get up, we'll play another hand, okay? I have to win at least one against you."

My teasing makes him crack a smile as he curls into his bed under the blankets. "Yeah, we'll see about that."

"I guess we will," I say softly, brushing his hair from his forehead as he closes his eyes.

A loud bang followed by the sounds of angry voices get my attention, and I stand and walk to Ben's door. I look down the hallway and spot Jane talking animatedly with one of the guards, her hands flying as she yells. I step out of Ben's room and walk closer to the commotion.

When she sees me coming, her eyes narrow, and I know exactly what's coming next. Instead of feeling weak or powerless, that look strengthens my resolve to do whatever needs to be done to get Ben and me out of here ... even if it means sleeping with the devil.

"My room, now, Cullen." Her bark is just as nasty as her bite, but I do as I'm told. I feel like a puppet on strings when I turn to follow her. As I pass her walking into her room, the expression on her face is smug, like it always is, satisfied with the power she's wielding over me.

"Close the door." Her commanding voice sends an icy chill down my spine, as it has every time I've been called to her quarters.

"Strip."

"Always so demanding," I retort, irritated with her colder than usual demeanor.

"And you're talking too much." She's angrily stripping off her own clothes, and for the first time, I can see cracks in her armor.

"Something happen out there today, _your highness_?"

Her scowl reminds me just how much she detests my new nickname for her.

"It did, if you must know. There have been some new ... developments, and we're trying to decide how to proceed."

"Sounds ... intriguing." Though that word doesn't seem to cover just how interested I am in the apparently new developments here on Volterra, but I can't let my excitement show. While she never gives me any details, she's definitely been more comfortable with engaging me in conversation since I moved in. But her off-hand remarks always give me another small piece of the puzzle. Every piece to the bigger picture is essential to commit to memory if I want to have a chance of getting out of here.

"Yes, well, I'm sure it is, but it isn't any of your concern." She gets an eyeful of my state of dress, and her eyes widen in irritation. "And why are you still dressed?"

Grinding my teeth, I focus on a spot on the wall just past her shoulder and remove the only bit of clothes I'm permitted to wear. The thin pants slip past my hips and fall to the floor, leaving me bare.

"Hmm, just as impressive as it was the first time."

I close my eyes and breathe deeply, trying to block out her words—her mere presence—with thoughts of my life before I was brought here. Even the years I spent alone, looking for Bella, were better than the days I've been here in this desolate place. Just thinking Bella's name brings flickers of memories, old and new, of our time together. I swallow hard and focus on keeping my breathing even.

The sudden touch of her hand on my cock makes my eyes fly open and my body tense in response.

"Now to see what we can do with it," she muses. Her hand moves up and down, slowly stroking me, and I can do nothing to stop my body's traitorous physical response to the stimulation. I flinch away, but her hold only tightens.

"Ah, ah, ah. Don't forget about dear, sweet Ben."

My responding hard stare makes her chuckle. "Oh, always so defiant, aren't you?" She gets closer, her hot breath in my ear. "Sure makes things more interesting."

I swallow down the bile in my mouth and squeeze my eyes closed, allowing her special brand of torture to continue.

"Hmm, much better." She lifts up on her tiptoes, her lips attempting to meet mine, but I draw a line.

"Don't." My word is simple, but leaves no room for argument.

Her eyes narrow at my refusal, and my nostrils flare at whatever game she's trying to play. I have to hold back my instinct to grab her and allow some of that anger to seep out. But I do imagine holding a pillow over her face and smothering her, envisioning how her slight body would thrash and struggle against the onslaught, but I push away the thought as quickly as it comes. I know the guards will check in with her in mere minutes, and they won't hesitate to end, not only me, but Ben, too.

"I thought I told you to never try to kiss me," I say gruffly as I swallow down the lump in my throat. It only makes her laugh.

"Had to try, Commander." Her hands are insistent as she pushes at me, guiding me toward her bed, as her touch goes back to my traitorous cock. The twinkle in her eyes tells me she wants to say more, but she holds herself back ... only barely. I close mine and try to take myself to another place, to consciously separate my mind from my physical body.

I try my best to block out her ministrations, instead, trying to focus on what I need to do to get out of this hellhole, what I need to do to get Ben and me to safety when the Coalition finally arrives. Those thoughts, thoughts of being rescued, lead me to think of happier days ahead; days spent with Bella by my side, watching Ben healthy and happy, enjoying the childhood he's so far been denied. Visions of watching him play and laugh, having enough to eat to make his cheeks full and his eyes bright, like other children his age, play out in my mind's eye.

Her hands are insistent in their push and pull. They urge me toward her bed, and we tumble onto the soft surface I've encountered many times in recent days. I don't open my eyes, refusing to watch as she takes what she wants from my body ... what I'm giving of my own free will.

I can't.

I'm disgusted with myself; what I've agreed to. But every time I look at Ben and see his smile, his excitement at having a bed and food to eat, in the end, I know it's all worth it.

The touch of her skin on mine leaves a burning fire in their wake; the wrong hands touch me, and I'm powerless to stop them. I try to block out the sensations, instead focusing on what I've seen since I was brought to be Jane's ... _companion_.

Things like the guard's schedules and consistent rotations, the hours Jane sleeps so soundly I could smother her with a pillow, it all files through my brain, a distraction from her touch.

She plays my traitorous body like a well-tuned instrument, and though the notes are sour, the off-key song still builds, no matter how hard I try to ignore it.

My mind focuses on Ben, and what they've done to him, what they've taken from him, and I allow the anger I feel on his behalf to grow. This may be a brighter, cooler, more comfortable prison than our previous one, but I won't allow myself to be held here much longer, no matter what deal I've made. If the Coalition's attack doesn't come soon, I'm going to need to find a way off Volterra.

Not only am I having my sanity stripped away one encounter at a time, but I've also seen and heard things since I was brought here that only intensify my hatred for this woman, for Caius, and for all the others who are running things here. Their casual attitudes about the loss of human life and the sub-human conditions everyone else is kept in, all in exchange for what they've been promised by the Aeonians, reminds me what kind of monsters I'm dealing with.

The notes of the jarring song climb higher, becoming so loud it's almost too much to ignore.

I squeeze my eyes tighter, trying to force another thought, another memory of happier times, anything else besides the telltale tingle creeping up my spine

The buzz is so loud, the blood pounding in my ears, it drowns out everything else. I have no choice but to pay attention, to feel, to be present in this moment. My body has taken complete control, and it's soaring with the music played upon it, committing the ultimate betrayal.

As the haze of endorphins rushing through me fades, my anger with my disloyal body rises. Her scent lingers as she slides from the bed, and it incites another physical reaction I've become all too familiar with in recent days. I'm left cold and shivering, aching inside for the woman I promised I would return to; the woman who, after so many years, finally agreed to be my wife.

The sheets shift as she returns. "It was a pleasure as always, Cullen." Her lips brush against my ear as she speaks. I ignore her until she rolls to her side, facing away from me.

As I lie here listening to the change in breathing of the bitch beside me as she drifts off to sleep, I vow to do whatever I can to get out of here, to do my part to save not only Ben and myself, but also the others held captive ... to get my life back.

* * *

I wake in a confused panic, my body covered in a cold sweat. The pounding of my heart echoes in my ears, and the familiar sensations from my dream still buzz through my veins; sensations so familiar, I know they're not merely dreams, but memories. It leaves me feeling simultaneously empty yet full of rage and regret. I can only pray Bella can forgive me for what I've had to do to save Ben, and ultimately myself.

At the sound of Jane's not so soft snores, I turn to look at the evil witch. The urge to strangle her in her sleep comes over me again, but I restrain myself. I know the time will come, and when it does, I won't hold back. But to do it now would only mean certain death for Ben and me.

I'm constantly reminded that our fate is in their hands. I watched just today as Jane demonstrated the termination feature of the collars. It was a young woman who was accused of stealing rations from another captive. Even as she pled her case, Jane's eyes never left mine.

' _Don't even_ _think_ _about trying to escape,'_ her eyes had said.

Her point was made.

My only option, until help arrives, is to push forward, do what I have to, all while looking for weaknesses in their defenses.

The thought I have as I try to go back to sleep is hoping against all hope that by now the men and women on Aurora will soon be coming for us.

* * *

 **A/N: If you're still here, thank you for having some faith in me. I think the resolution for this mess will be a satisfying one** **for most of you. We're back to Bella next chapter and to the planning stages of the Coalition's attack/rescue mission.**

 **Thanks for reading! Remember, you can see teasers and pics in my Facebook group, Sunshine Fics. See you Tuesday! ;)**

 **Lots of love**

 **~Sunshine**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

 **Bella**

Leaning against the wall in the periphery of the room, my arms are crossed as I listen to the powers that be decide what the plan is for executing the mission to the surface of Volterra. I'm only here because my father gave me clearance. They're currently debating the pros and cons of waiting to launch our attack. Pissed off doesn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling.

"But as I said before, we need to make contact with our operative still on Cordia before we proceed." The words are shouted over the murmured disagreement in the room, but General Garrett nods in agreement anyway.

"But that will only delay things further," Commander Sam Uley argues. "The longer we wait, the more people die. And Commander Cullen is—"

I squeeze my eyes shut, doing my best to not focus on the what-ifs, to not think about what could be happening to Edward ... or what may have already happened.

"But with Admiral Swan's rescue no longer an issue, we can proceed with our ultimate plan to infiltrate Volterra; to actually try and stop Caius!" Officer Lahote says with a pound of his fist to the table.

The room erupts in heated debate, voices calling over each other as many of us look on. It isn't until General Garrett calls out for quiet does everyone listen.

"What is the status of the next transport scheduled to arrive?" he asks Uley.

"The last we spoke to our contact on Cordia, the next transport should be there within the next few days." Sam's words bring a new kind of quiet over the room.

Garrett's eyes find Lahote's. "How prepared are we to launch our attack on Volterra?"

"As ready as we're going to be, Sir."

Garrett stands and paces at one end of the room. "And do we have recent reports on the defenses they have on the surface?"

"Our surface scans show two missile stations capable of bringing down our fighters are still operational, but—"

"But they also have at least one carrier in orbit, yes?"

"Yes, Sir. With—"

"With the ability to pick off anything before it even reaches their airspace. Yes, I know," he says with a nod.

The General is thoughtful as he considers all the information, his expression focused. It isn't until he pauses at the window to peer outside that he chooses to speak, his hands clasped at his back.

"We need to make contact with Officer Denali on Cordia to make sure our allies are in place and ready to execute their plan and coordinate it with ours." He turns to face the room. "Admiral Swan was briefed shortly after he arrived, and we have new information regarding what we're actually up against, what's at stake, so the execution of a flawless mission is of the utmost importance. I realize we have innocent people arriving on Volterra every month, people dying every day, even one of our own men possibly among them, but I can't throw away years of planning and strategizing by jumping the gun on this. So with that in mind, I order we move in fourteen days."

I narrow my eyes on the man as the room once again becomes a jumbled commotion of voices, that is until General Garrett speaks over them.

"And to all the commanders and officers, you have your assignments. And you also have seven days to organize your teams." He looks around the room. "I understand many of you want to be involved in this mission. It's something we've been planning for a very long time. But please keep in mind we need our absolute best for this one. Only those with the most extensive training will be considered for this mission. We can't afford to let those too wet behind the ears be the reason our mission fails. The rest of you who want to help, I understand your frustration, but your efforts will be better suited to work here on Aurora."

I make eye contact with my father, who happens to be seated at the table in the center of the room. Even after three weeks of treatment for Thanium exposure, he still appears weak. But it's his expression that worries me, his eyes clouded with uncertainty as we stare at each other.

"So what do you think our chances are we get assigned to one of these crews?" Emmett's voice startles me.

I shrug. "Well, you heard Garrett. New recruits are _too wet behind the ears_ for this." My displeasure is clear which makes Emmett chuckle. "I highly doubt he's going to let me come along. You on the other hand ..."

He shakes his head. "As much as I want to go on this one, I'm sure they'll put me to work here. Besides," he says as he puffs out his chest, "I don't want to toot my own horn, but I _am_ one of the best engineers they have."

His arrogant grin makes me laugh as I push off the wall. "Of course you are, Emmett." I pat him on his shoulder. "Just don't let it go to your head."

"Never." His smile fades as he catches sight of something over my shoulder. Looking back, I see my father approaching.

I take a step away from Emmett and toward my father. "So how about we catch up later?"

"Sounds good, Bella. See ya around." He turns and walks in the direction of the engineering bay, a place I've recently found myself spending more and more time.

As I watch Emmett walk away, my father's voice gets my attention, causing me to turn. "He's a good man. Seems to be good at his job."

"He is," I say with a nod. "One of the best."

He opens his arms to me, and I step into them willingly. "How are you holding up, Bella?"

"Barely," I whisper into his chest.

He squeezes me to him tighter, and I relish in the moment, one at one time I doubted I might ever have again.

"I've known Garrett for a long time, Bells, and if anyone can successfully pull off this mission, it's him." He pauses, unsure. "We'll get him back to you," he says lowly.

I lift my head from his chest and look into his eyes, still finding the doubt I saw earlier. "Then tell me why you're hiding something from me," I whisper.

His head drops to rest on mine as he exhales. "I never could hide anything from you or your mother, could I?" His rhetorical question makes me smile.

"No," I say with a shake to my head as my smile falls. "So don't start now."

He releases me and grabs my hand. "Let's go for a walk?"

I nod my agreement and let him lead me through halls and passages, my pace slowing to match his, until we reach the outside. We walk until we come to the lake, its glass-like surface reflecting the colors of the Aurora sky swirling overhead. He tells me all the details I've not been privy to before now, details he learned while in captivity on Volterra. Details only Garrett and a select few of the Coalition know.

He tells me about the Cordian government officials keeping the existence of the Aeonian people a secret, their quest for Thanium and what they use it for, the disappearance of the youngest captives when they arrived on Volterra, and Ambassador Caius' offer to my father to join him in his quest for a centuries long existence.

"So now you know why things are more complicated." His quiet voice is a contrast to the activity of the men and women in the distance, hurrying from one place to another with purpose, readying us for the impending battle.

"I do," I say, turning to look into his eyes.

"And I hope you understand why I don't want you a part of what's coming."

I stare off into the distance, pondering his question, but already knowing my answer. "I understand," I finally reply. "But I hope _you_ understand I can't just sit here and do nothing." I turn to look at him. "Edward looked for me for years, Dad. _Years_. I know where he is, and I can't just sit here and depend on others to get him back to me safely."

He reaches for my hand, grasping it in his. "You always were so stubborn," he says with a sigh. "Talk to Black," he finally says. "Out of all the officers, she seems to be the most ... _malleable_."

I smile at his choice of words.

"She also knows how much you mean to Cullen ... and how much he means to you, I'd guess."

I lean toward him and place a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks, Dad."

We sit together in silence as the never ending light show plays on a constant, always changing loop, my hand in his.

* * *

I land another hit to the bag, my muscles protesting at my never ending self-torture. Sweat pours from my skin and my breath is coming in short pants.

"You know, it's probably better to spar with another person and not just a punching bag." Alice's voice caries through the empty room, only a single dim light illuminating the space.

"Yeah, I know. And I was until everyone else went home." I turn to look at her. "Hard to spar with another person when no one wants to put in the kind of hours I do," I say with a shrug.

She nods in understanding as she steps closer to me. "Still, I'm worried you're going to overexert yourself and get hurt. And then what? There's no one here to help you get to the clinic." She settles herself onto a nearby stack of mats.

"I'll be fine, Alice. I know when to quit."

She studies me for a while, making me uncomfortable. "Do you?"

I get the impression she isn't talking about my self-imposed training schedule anymore, and I turn to look at her. "I know when to quit," I say confidently.

Silence settles between us as I decide to cool down, sitting on a mat to stretch.

"Edward was a mess the entire time I've known him," she says out of the blue, disrupting the quiet. "That is until he found you."

I turn to meet her eyes.

"He's a very good friend, Bella. One Jasper and I have watched suffer in silence and solitude for a very long time." She pauses, searching my eyes. "Just promise me you won't do anything reckless. I'm not sure he could handle losing you twice. There are plenty of well-trained men and women ready to go out there and get him back and put an end to the devastation Caius has caused. You need to trust they'll do their jobs."

I stand abruptly and walk from the room, unwilling to face what everyone keeps trying to tell me.

* * *

"I really don't care how much training you've had, Swan," Black says as we walk side by side through the corridors of the training center. Several days have passed, it's now the eve of our strike against Volterra, and I've finally had the opportunity to corner her. Up until now, she's evaded me at every turn.

"But Commander Cullen said I was—"

She turns abruptly, cutting off whatever it was I was going to argue. "Look," she says with a huff. "I'm sorry, Bella, I really am, but you haven't actually been in any kind of combat situation, and I can't use this as a training ground for you."

I open my mouth to protest, to tell her I'm as ready as any of her team members, but she raises a hand to stop me. "I know Cullen said you were ready. He told me as much. But you've only _trained_ , and even then it was just basic training. You have no combat experience, _at all_ , and I can't put the lives of the men and women on my team at risk by giving you a chance." Her tone and expression are contrite. "Besides, do you think Edward would ever forgive me if something went wrong and you didn't come home?"

I narrow my eyes at her, but feel the fight leave me as she turns her sympathetic gaze to me. "Fine," I finally relent. "But you can't expect me to just sit here and do _nothing_ ,Leah!" I throw up my arms in exasperation. "When he was captured I could only sit there and listen. I can't do that again."

Her brow furrows as she looks around, her hands on her hips, before finally turning to look at me. "Okay, look, I'll make sure you have a comm unit so you can listen and be part of the ground crew, but that's the best I can do."

I nod. "Thank you," I say, knowing it's likely the best offer I'm going to get under the circumstances.

"Meet me tomorrow morning in the shuttle dock and we'll make sure you have you squared away before we launch."

I grab her hand, startling her. "Thank you, Leah," I say quickly before she can pull away.

She finally does, and she straightens her uniform, seemingly flustered by my show of gratitude. "Don't be late. I won't postpone the launch to wait on you."

"I won't be late. I promise, I'll be there."

* * *

 **A/N: I must say, the reactions for last chapter ran the gamut, and a few of them surprised me. Opinions were definitely varied, but keep them coming. I enjoy hearing your thoughts. :)**

 **Friday's update will be coming from the Carolinas meetup, so it may be a little later in the day than usual.**

 **Thanks for reading! Remember, you can see teasers and pics in my Facebook group, Sunshine Fics. See you Friday! ;)**

 **Lots of love**

 **~Sunshine**


	14. Chapter 14

****Parts of Garrett's speech inspired by speech given by General George S. Patton, spring 1944.****

 **Chapter 14**

"Okay, so this is your direct link to just our crew." Collin does his job and points out the controls to the comm unit. "And this one links you to the entire fleet."

"So it's everyone? I'll hear what they hear in the control room?"

"Yes. And this particular unit is set up as a receiver by default. To transmit, you just push this here."

I nod, thankful it's a fairly simple, straightforward piece of equipment. "Got it." My hands fumble with the unit, my nervousness and excitement making me a trembling mess.

Leah Black watches me from her spot across the hangar as she organizes her team. I'm sure she's waiting on Collin to finish with me, but her expression is passive so I know she's doing her best to be patient.

I reach out for his forearm to stop him before he can walk over to his team. "Let Commander Black know I appreciate her waiting on me to be wired up."

"I will." He nods once before turning and walking away.

The excitement and stress in the room is palpable, a nervous energy buzzing around us as the men and women suit up to leave. The flight engineers are all painstakingly loading a small amount of Thanium to each spacecraft, the powerful element making it possible to not only fuel their launch and jump to Volterra, but the ability to maintain their weapons and fight when they arrive. The crews are all going through pre-flight checks, making sure their teams are ready to face the enemy. And engineers, officers, and commanders alike, their faces all share the same expression—absolute determination.

General Garrett weaves through the crowd and climbs atop a short stack of crates. A hush comes over them all, and everyone in the room comes to attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today is a day we've been waiting many years for. Ambassador Caius and those loyal to him have committed a grave error in thinking they could continue to strip the rights of so many people taken from Cordia. But today, that ends. Today we fight to get back all he and others have taken. A coordinated strike will also be taking place today on Cordia. Our contacts there have their own teams who will be executing arrest warrants on the men and women associated with the conspiracy, those who have been aware of the diverted transports and what's been happening all along. Those involved should be facing charges for treason by the end of the day. And while their mission probably won't shed any blood"—he looks around the hangar at the men and women eager to take on the enemy—"ours will. Lives could very well be lost. And not only ours, but likely those held captive on the surface."

I close my eyes and swallow hard, refusing to believe it will come to that.

"We have no way of knowing what Caius and his men will do when we strike. What I _do_ know of him tells me he's desperate to hang on to his goal. Thanks to Admiral Swan, we now know of his arrangement with the Aeonians, and desperate men do desperate things. But even if we have to burn Volterra to the ground, we have to stop him. We're going in there to end this ... today, once and for all. We're going to push through until we have the upper hand. I don't want to hear any one of you say you're holding your position. This isn't about holding our position, this is about advancing until it's finished. Those men, women, and children are counting on us to put a stop to this madness and save them. You've all been given your orders." He takes a deep breath before blowing it out. "Now, let's go kick some ass."

The hoots and hollers of the men and women who fill the hangar tell me Garrett's speech did what it was intended to. They're pumped up and ready for action. It takes very little time for the teams to organize. I watch as they all move seamlessly, not only as teams, but also as a much larger group, all well-rehearsed in what they have to do.

The first wave of fighters is lined up to launch in mere minutes, and I stand on the sidelines, out of the way, as they begin to take flight. One by one they leave the hangar, and the echoes of the Thanium drives engaging ring through the air.

I scramble to turn on the comm unit so I can hear the chatter of each team as they launch and jump, arriving in Volterra's airspace all within a matter of minutes thanks to the Thanium powered drive.

"This is Newton." His voice is the first one to be acknowledged by those in the control room. "My team is approaching the orbiting carrier to assess."

Information is relayed and several more teams arrive—Black's, Uley's, Lahote's, and even Garrett's—and get into position. I'm so wrapped up in what I'm hearing, I'm startled when Emmett comes up beside me.

"My god, you scared me!" I'm holding a hand over my chest, trying to calm my now racing heart as I slip off one of the earpieces.

"Sorry, B." He grins sheepishly and I shake my head.

"Just don't do it again."

"I thought you saw me. You must've been too focused on what's going on," he says, motioning to the headset I'm wearing.

"Isn't everyone here in Engineering listening?"

He shakes his head. "No. Well, not to all of it. Only the unsecured line comes through here." He points to the officer stationed at the desk, a small crowd around him. "You've apparently been given an all access pass with that thing." He nods to the comm unit in my hand.

"Want to listen?" I offer. "I know you've got to be as nervous as I am about this."

He huffs a breath, and his vulnerability hidden just below the surface peeks through. "I am."

"Here." I slip the headpiece off and offer him half. And for the next who knows how long—it could be minutes, it could be hours—we listen, our hands clasped tightly together for strength, each of us counting on others to bring Edward home.

As each team takes position, we hear orders and acknowledging replies going back and forth. As the first of the two missile stations is destroyed, I reflexively reach for Emmett. My hand leaves his, and my arm wraps around him, searching for something to hold onto. When reports of returning fire start coming in, my tears begin to fall. Teams begin to land, one by one, once all the planned air attacks have been launched. And when calls for medical teams to be sent begin to come through, fear begins to crawl up my spine.

"What does that mean, Emmett? Did you hear who needs a medic?" Even I can hear the panic rising in my voice.

"I don't know. They aren't saying who needs it, B. We just have to be patient."

"We both know that's not—"

"We're taking fire," a voice calls out over the airwaves. "We have confirmed casualties. I repeat, we have confirmed casualties. Enemy seems to have control of the captives with some sort of ... some kind of personal device attached to their necks. They're ... they're just ... _zapping_ them dead." The officer's tone is disbelieving, like he can't accept what he's seeing. The visual he's put in my head, of people just dropping dead at the press of a button, brings angry, frustrated tears to my eyes.

It's suddenly overwhelming and too much for me to listen to. I whip off my half of the headset and walk away as fast as my legs can carry me.

I'd thought listening to what was happening would somehow soothe me, somehow make it easier to accept I couldn't be there. But all it's done is make me feel powerless, useless to the man I love and to all the other people trapped on Volterra who are depending on the Coalition to save them.

I push my way outside and walk until I reach the edge of the lake, its stillness and tranquility something I need right now to quiet the storm brewing inside me. I sit at the edge and try to breathe deeply, willing the calm I so desperately need to come back.

"Please, please, please still be alive." My whispered plea carries on the breeze, and I'm left with nothing but an empty feeling, my hope just out of reach.

I think about all the time I've wasted. Back when we were kids, when he asked me to marry him, I kept turning him down, kept telling him no. I wanted to focus on my studies, better myself. I thought we had plenty of time. My excuses seem so flimsy now. Had I said yes, there's a good chance I'd have spent the last ten years with Edward. Even here on Aurora, we could've built a life.

I sit and watch the ever-changing sky, wishing on stars I can only hope Edward can see from where he is, that he'll somehow find his way back to me, if only for me to tell him how sorry I am.

Heavy, pounding footsteps approach, fast, making me look back over my shoulder. I'm met with the panicked eyes of Emmett.

I jump to my feet. "What's wrong?"

"Jasper left with the first medic crew a couple hours ago."

"Hours?" I mumble to myself. Have I really been out here that long?

"He promised to let me know if he found Edward, or anything that would tell us where he is."

"Okay, so did he find him?"

Emmett shakes his head. "No, but he says he thinks he knows Edward was there."

"That doesn't make any sense, Emmett. Why does he—"

He tugs at my hand. "Come on, and I'll explain on the way."

I do as I'm told, and try to keep up, needing to practically run to match his stride.

"It's a long story, but his medic crew set up a triage area in one of the buildings. He said it looked like it was the quarters of one of the higher-ups, right? And the crew that cleared the building found what they think was a little boy's room." He turns abruptly and I nearly crash into him. "B, they found a drawing of a little boy and a man with crazy red and brown hair and their names written on it. It said Ben and _Ed_ , B. Ben and _Ed_! He has to be there somewhere, right?"

He turns to walk back to Engineering, his pace too fast.

"Wait!" I reach for his arm, grabbing him. "So, are they looking for him?"

"No," he says without missing a step. "He's not a priority. They've just about got Volterra secured, and not until the other side completely surrenders will they go looking for the missing survivors."

"Then where the hell are we going?"

He turns to face me. "To get my brother."

"You better not be thinking of leaving without me." I stand firm in my resolve.

"Even if you risk being arrested and me getting a court martial?"

"I said you're not leaving without me."

His grin is the biggest I've ever seen on him. "I was hoping you'd say that."

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, here we go! We're one step closer to getting Edward home. What do you think they'll find on Volterra?**

 **Thanks for reading! Remember, you can see teasers and pics in my Facebook group, Sunshine Fics. See you Tuesday! ;)**

 **Lots of love**

 **~Sunshine**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

As we walk through the bay doors of the hangar, most of the Engineering crew's attention is elsewhere, preparing for the return of some of the crews and medics. It's the perfect opportunity to go unnoticed as Emmett and I ready one of the shuttles. It's smaller than the fighters, but it's large enough to have a jump drive, which is what we need to get to Volterra.

"We'll need a medic kit." I look over at him as he goes through his pre-flight check.

"Yeah. That's probably not a bad idea." He looks over his shoulder, making sure our movements are still undetected. "Why don't you run down to the clinic and grab one."

"Okay." I start to step away before turning back to him. "You won't leave without me, will you?"

He shakes his head. "No, B, I won't."

I run as fast as my legs can carry me, and I make it to the makeshift clinic in record time. When I step into the storage closet, I realize I have no idea what I'm looking for. My eyes scan the shelves and shelves of supplies, but still, nothing is obvious. I know we're already painfully low on so many essentials since Volterra's attack on our hospital, so I feel a small twinge of guilt with the knowledge I'll be taking valuable resources others may need. But I also know if Edward is injured, we'll need to treat him, so I have no choice but to pilfer at least some basic supplies.

"What are you doing?" Alice's voice startles me. I turn and see her leaning against the doorframe of the supply closet.

"Nothing." My automatic response makes me cringe even before I see her answering smile.

"Edward always did say you couldn't lie to save your life."

"They, um, needed something in Engineering."

She tilts her head as she pushes off the doorframe and steps toward me. "What exactly do they need, and I can help you find it."

My pause while I try to think up some bullshit answer is just long enough for her to pounce.

"Jasper already contacted me, Bella. He said if you showed up, I should help you."

"You'll help me?" The smallest spark of hope flickers in my chest.

"Better than that, I think I'll come with you." She walks past me, grabbing a few things from the shelves.

"Aren't you needed here?"

She turns her head to look at me. "There are plenty of people here. I won't be missed." She leans in closer. "Besides, Carlisle already pulled me aside and asked me to help Edward if it came to that. He knew Jasper and the rest of the medic crews wouldn't be able to run off to find people for a while, if at all." She offers me a small smile. "He wants his son back just as much as you do."

We hurriedly pack a bag of the supplies she thinks she'll need and we return to the hangar. I spot Emmett waiting for us in the cockpit, and adrenaline begins to course through my body.

"Wait!" Alice reaches for my arm, stopping me in my tracks.

"What? We need to go, Alice!"

"I know, but I think we need one more thing."

Just then, Emmett steps off the shuttle. "What's the hold up, B? And what ... What is Alice doing with you?"

"I'm coming with you." Her tone leaves no room for argument.

"But you—"

"I'm the only one of the three of us that has any kind of medical training. And well, Carlisle asked me to go if I was needed. He wants Edward home just as much as you do, Emmett."

He narrows his eyes, but doesn't acknowledge her comment. "What's the one more thing we need?"

"Is there room for a stasis pod in the shuttle?"

He turns to look over the spacecraft, sizing it up before turning back to her. "Probably."

"Is there one close? Here in Engineering, maybe?"

He scans the hangar and his gaze lands on the transport ship to arrive most recently, which happens to be the one I was on.

"Depending on any injuries he has, it might be a better way to transport him. There's a life support mode on the pods."

That's all the explanation I need.

We work as a team to move one of the pods. The one I spent seven years in just happens to be the one closest to the bay doors of the ship. The thought that this pod is what brought me back to him and may bring him back to me isn't far from my mind, but I don't say anything as we wheel it into the shuttle.

Just before we close the doors, Rose pops her head inside, her conspiring expression surprising me.

"I'll make sure you guys get airborne. Leave it to me," she says with a wink.

"Thanks, babe." Emmett blows her a kiss, and she mimes catching it before blowing one of her own back at him. Their exchange makes me laugh as I strap myself into the seat.

"What?" he asks, sounding irritated and only slightly embarrassed.

I shake my head, smiling to myself. "Nothing, Emmett. Nothing."

Alice pipes up from behind us as she buckles herself into the harness. "Emmett is just a big 'ol marshmallow, aren't you, big guy?"

He grumbles but doesn't respond as he steers us out of the hangar. The small spacecraft isn't paid much mind as it drives through the bay doors, but as we pick up speed, I can see the ground crews scramble to figure out why a small shuttle is about to take off.

"Hold on, ladies. This might be a little bumpy." When the wheels finally lift from the ground, my heart begins to race. And when he warns us he's about to engage the jump drive, it just about beats out of my chest.

I squeeze my eyes closed and hold my breath until I can no longer hold it. I allow my subconscious to take over and play images of Edward and me in happier times from the past, both distant and recent, and relax as much as possible as we hurtle through space.

We're all quiet after the launch, all of us lost in thought, likely contemplating what we may face when we arrive. My memories play on a loop to pass the time, until we reach Volterra's airspace, and keep my mind focused as we land on the surface. The jolt of the rough landing has me gripping at the edge of my seat and pulls my attention to the present. My eyes open, but instead of looking at our surroundings, I turn to our pilot, who just happens to look a little sheepish.

"Sorry about that," Emmett apologizes. "It's been a while since I've actually piloted one of these things."

"Exactly _how_ long?" Alice asks from behind me.

He hesitates. "Uh, a while?" He laughs nervously from his seat beside me.

"And you didn't think it was an important detail to share with us _before_ we launched?" I ask.

"We made it, didn't we?"

When I finally turn my attention outside, I'm greeted by sights that nightmares are made of.

While the fighting seems to have ceased, plumes of smoke fill the air as fires still burn in the distance. Men, women and children, all captives, mill around trying to figure out what comes next. The dead are scattered all around them at their feet while our men and women try to guide them to safety. They're malnourished, red and blistered from their exposure to both the elements and the Thanium, and many of them are bruised and bleeding. Their appearance brings tears to my eyes as I think about people enduring these conditions for as long as we suspect they have.

Emmett is the first to leave his seat, and he heads to the rear of the shuttle and begins rummaging through a case I didn't see him load before takeoff. When he pulls out weapon after weapon, understanding dawns on me.

"Here," he says, holding one in our direction. "I can't have us going out there unarmed. What I'm hearing over the comm tells me the surface is secured, but that doesn't mean we won't run into any trouble. There could still be a few holdouts or some other kind of trouble."

I gladly take mine, holstering two guns and enough ammunition to reload if needed, along with two knives. As I'm making sure everything is secure, I catch sight of Alice's weary expression.

"Just take it, Alice. Please." Emmett's pleading seems to be falling on deaf ears.

"I don't ... I've never been trained, Em." Alice looks genuinely worried. "I'm afraid I'll kill someone."

"Well yeah, if we run into a problem, that's kind of the idea." When she still refuses to take it, he huffs a breath before turning to the case to find another option. He pulls out something smaller and easier to handle. "Here," he says, handing it to her. "This one is basically point and shoot. You don't have to be a trained marksman to hit anything with this. There's no safety, and you just pull the trigger. It's not incredibly sensitive, so don't worry about firing it unless you mean to."

She hesitates, but finally takes it.

"Come on," Emmett calls as he steps toward the shuttle doors. "Let's go find Jasper and then hopefully my brother. We landed at the coordinates he sent me, so we should be close."

We file out, me then Alice, and follow behind him. The wave of heat that hits us is like a wall. The air is heavy, making it difficult to breathe, and we all seem to be affected. The atmosphere isn't anything like the one on Aurora. No, Volterra is inhospitable, and I'm already longing for the place I've come to call home.

Our path is unplanned since we're unsure where to go now that we've landed. Emmett asks a passing Coalition officer where to find the triage area, and we're directed to a structure just a few hundred yards in the distance. As we walk, we pass groups of our people doing what they can to help those injured in the attack and those simply searching for answers. I have to look away and focus on my steps.

Large and partially underground, the dust-covered metal structure is almost palatial. It's a stark contrast to the desolate landscape surrounding it. In fact, as I scan the horizon, I see very few other buildings; so few, I'm certain those held captive here haven't had any kind of shelter.

As we step inside, we're practically ignored as people busy themselves with treating the injured. It's loud, crowded, and the heat from outside seems to permeate the walls, making the cramped space feel almost stifling. As I try to stave off my sudden feeling of claustrophobia, Alice spots Jasper and takes off to speak to him, along with Emmett, all while I'm frozen in place.

I'm snapped out of my trance when Alice comes bounding back and yanks me by the hand.

"Come on. Jasper thinks he knows where Edward was being held." We follow the winding halls and first come upon a room that looks like it belonged to a child. The small bed is at the center of the room, and a small, round table sits in the corner.

It's topped with a few sheets of paper, colorful sketches covering them. Many of them appear to be imaginative creations, and some even remind me of the sky on Aurora. But what makes my breath catch in my throat is the one with two stick figures, hand in hand; one short, one tall, one with short, black hair, the other chaotic red and brown, an obvious beard covering his face. The page is in my hand without a conscious thought, and my fingers trace over the lines of the names scrawled at the top.

 _Ben and Ed_

"That's not the only thing to make me think he was here, Bella." Jasper's voice brings me out of whatever trance I was under.

"What else did you find?" I ask, my voice shaking as I look up at him.

He looks around to make sure no one is paying us any attention and tilts his head to the side, motioning for us to follow him further down the hall. We pass room after room, most full of patients and one with our people who seem to be investigating what looks like a strange stasis pod. I don't have time to dwell on it as we're led to the last room at the long corridor.

"We really aren't supposed to be in here, but I thought you'd want to see it. They cleared the room, but haven't really investigated why it looks the way it does. I've only peeked in, but I'll warn you," he says before opening the door, his hand still on the knob. "It's not pretty in there. Whatever happened ... Well, someone is seriously injured."

"Open the damn door, Whitlock," Emmett growls from beside me.

With a sigh, Jasper turns the knob and pushes open the door. The sight that greets us makes me gasp. The bed is askew from its base, furniture is overturned, and a the shards of a broken mirror lay scattered all over the floor. You can plainly see a struggle happened within these four walls. It's startling, yes, but what really takes my breath away is the blood.

Painted on the bare mattress, smeared into the piles of fabrics and carpet, is blood. Everywhere. I step inside the room, careful where I walk, and take it all in.

The sight that stops me dead in my tracks is the body lying on the floor covered in a bloody sheet.

"Shit." Jasper's curse gets everyone else's attention.

"What the hell?" Emmett steps past me toward the body, but I grab him by the arm before he can reach it.

"No." I refuse to look, to have anything confirmed.

"Bella, as hard as it is, we _need_ to know." Emmett leans down enough to meet my eyes.

"I know. I just ..." I blow out a breath. "Okay, go ahead," I whisper.

As Emmett peels back the sheet, I realize how small the person beneath it really is, and a spark of hope ignites in my chest.

"It's not him, is it?" I ask quietly and full of hope.

"No," Emmett says with a shake of his head. "And all this blood didn't come from here," he says, pointing to the still form on the floor.

"We need to find him," I whisper. "He's hurt." I turn to face Jasper and Alice. "He's hurt, but he's alive. I know he is." I feel it in my bones. I know it as much as I know my own name.

* * *

 **A/N: I'd love to hear your theories! What do you think happened in that room? Who's under that sheet?! We'll be bck to Edward next chapter, so hang in there!**

 **Thanks** **so much** **for reading! Remember, you can see teasers and pics in my Facebook group, Sunshine Fics. See you** **Friday** **! ;)**

 **Lots of love**

 **~Sunshine**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

 **Edward**

— **Hours earlier—**

"Cullen!" Jane's shrill, panicked voice grows louder as she calls for me, her hurried footsteps growing louder.

I look up from the book I'm reading to see her rush into the room, holding Ben by the elbow.

"What the—"

"There's no time." She drops Ben onto the bed and disappears into her closet.

"No time for wh—"

"We need to leave," she says, her voice muffled as she rummages around. She reappears, a few boxes and a bag in hand. She deposits them on the bed alongside Ben and returns to the closet all in mere seconds.

"What do you mean we need to leave? What the hell is going on, Jane?"

"We're under attack." She steps from the closet with an armful of her shit.

I step closer to Ben, placing myself in front of him and between him and Jane's frantic behavior. "Which means what, exactly? Where are we going?"

Her narrowed eyes finally meet mine. "It means we're going down to the surface. I can't risk being captured or killed."

As what she tells me begins to sink in, she busies herself with gathering her belongings, even tossing in weapons I didn't know she must've had hidden. I know without a doubt those attacking Volterra are the Coalition; my friends, people I consider my family. I need to think quickly, to remove Ben and me from whatever it is she has planned. If she manages to get us down to Aeonia, I don't know what the hell will happen, and I may never find my way back home.

I look behind me and see the little boy who's put all his trust in me since we met, and I find the same trust on his face now. Our rescue is so close, I can almost taste it. I've got to do whatever it takes to stay here and wait to be found.

I turn back to Jane. "I think Ben and I will take our chances here."

She scoffs. "Oh, I don't think so, Cullen. You think I'd just leave you here to go back to your people? No. Besides, Caius would have my head if I showed up without you." She turns back to get more of her shit from the closet. "If anything, you're a bargaining chip for us with the Coalition. Having you might barter a treaty or truce or something." She shakes her head, confusion and frustration rolling off her in waves. "I don't know what, but I'm sure he has a plan for you or he wouldn't have made such a big deal about me keeping you alive."

I ignore her statement and opt to distract her. "Exactly where is the Ambassador these days? I haven't seen him for a while."

My question is exactly the diversion I was hoping for. She pauses, her back still turned to me, as she speaks. "He's been busy with negotiations." Her explanation continues as she returns to her closet.

With her out of sight, I scan the room for something, anything to use to subdue her, to give Ben and me a chance to get away. While she prattles on about the Aeonians wanting more frequent shipments, I spot an extra shock collar and its control unit. I step toward the foot of the bed, closer to the bag and away from Ben. But before I can reach it, she walks back into the room.

"...and he's trying to get more—" She shakes her head before looking at me. "Stop trying to confuse me, Cullen! You and the brat are coming with me."

"Yeah, I don't think so, _your highness_. You run off and do what you need to do, and Ben and me will wait right here to be picked up."

An angry scowl colors her features, and she reaches into her bag, pulling out a dagger and pointing it in my direction. "I said, _you're coming with me_." Her words are forced through clenched teeth and said with barely restrained fury. If it weren't so goddamn serious, I'd laugh in her face.

I move to get back in front of Ben, to block him from her attack, but she's faster than me. Before I can blink, she's behind him holding the blade to his throat, and I no longer find any misplaced humor in the situation.

"I'll do it. You know I will. He's nothing if not expendable. Kids can be replaced. Especially ones with no family to give a damn about them. Coalition commanders worth something to their cause aren't so easy to replace. You're coming with me."

I make one calculated, slow step in her direction. "That's where you're wrong, Jane." My words are spoken softly, so as not to make her flinch, but my heart is pounding, the urge to rip Ben from her arms vibrates through me. "That little boy? He has a family. He's got me." I don't dare meet Ben's eyes, afraid that if I do, I'll lose my focus. I've never said those words to him, and I instantly regret it has to be in this moment that he hears them. "Besides, I know for a fact I'm not as valuable as you seem to think I am. I'm one man, and they'd never negotiate for my life when the lives of so many are at stake. The cause is bigger than that, and we both know it." My final attempt to reason with her falls on deaf ears.

"No," she says, shaking her head. "I'm not leaving you here." Jane's once angry eyes now look determined, and she grips Ben tighter. I move to get closer, but his small cry of pain as she does stops me cold.

"Don't come any closer, Cullen." The demand is enough to have me rethinking how I might get us out of this, buy myself more time. So I try a new tactic.

"Then leave Ben here. Take me, but leave him here."

"What? He was your family just a minute ago," she says with a mocking sneer.

I nod. "You're right. He is, but I also know he'll be fine." Even as I say the words, I know, without a doubt, they're true. He may have to hide, but eventually the Coalition will win out over those here on Volterra, and he'll be rescued.

They have to.

"No, I think you still need some motivation if we want you to continue to comply."

I stare into her narrowed, cold eyes and see the monster I've been living with for the last week. I know there's no reasoning with this woman. No, she'd have to have a heart to make that possible. My only way out of this is to tell her what she wants to hear. I swallow hard and utter words that taste bitter on my tongue, but keeping with the status quo—protecting Ben—is a shot I have to take. "If you leave him here, I'll go willingly. I'll do whatever you ask."

My gamble pays off. My statement surprises her—hell, maybe my sudden agreement confuses her—and she loosens her hold on Ben, the hand holding the knife dropping to her side. It's only for a moment, but it's the opening I need.

I reach for Ben, pulling him from Jane's grasp, and push him out of the way. She's momentarily frozen in place but soon snaps out of it and charges at me with a screech. Her body collides with mine, the blade along with her. We fall into the nearest piece of furniture, a mirrored cabinet, and the glass splinters and cracks as my head and back collide with it. What's worse, the sudden halt of our momentum doesn't stop the knife from propelling forward. It slices through my flesh, burying itself deeply into my abdomen. The searing pain knocks the wind right out of me, leaving me stunned.

She leaves the blade where it is and uses her hands to attack me. In my stunned state, I have only one thought; get away from her. I slide to the floor and try to crawl, dragging myself to the bed. But her body covers mine from behind, her tiny fists continuing to pound away at my back. The sting left by the broken glass intensifies with each hit.

"Why can't you just do what I tell you to? Why can't you just come with me so I get everything Caius said I would?" Her anger is fueled only by her desperation.

I use every ounce of strength I have to throw her off of me as I pull myself onto the mattress. She won't be deterred, though, and launches herself at me again, but I'm ready for her. I catch her by the wrists before her fists can connect with me again, and I wrestle her hands behind her and end up on top, straddling her back, my knees on either side.

"It's over." I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to block out the spots in my vision and breathe through the pain. The blade is still buried in my side, and the pain throbs with each harsh pound of my heart.

"It's not over. I—"

Her words are cut off as I push her down onto the bed, one hand holding down both of hers, and the other pressing her face into the mattress. Using all the strength I can, I hold her down while she thrashes, her screams muffled by the fabric that covered our bodies just last night. But soon, my arms grow weak, the pain becoming too overwhelming to see this through to the end. I can feel my strength waning, and I know I won't be able to hold her much longer.

Just as I'm about to give up, Ben scrambles up next to me. "Here! Use this!" He thrusts his hand into my line of sight, clutching a collar like the ones we were forced to wear for so long, like the one I still wear. The quick movement of his hand makes it fuzzy, the colors of his skin and the metal a swirling image. I squeeze my eyes closed again, hoping my vision improves.

"Yeah ... Good idea." My words are choppy, my breathing growing shallow and rapid as Jane's movements slow. "Just ... open it ... get ... closer to her."

So with Jane's prone body losing its fight, Ben gets closer. His hands grip the collar, hovering over her neck. I release her and quickly grab for the cool metal and lock it in place.

I don't move off of her, but I let go of the collar and grab the control from Ben. I finally think I have the advantage, her small body beneath mine. But before I can press the button to shock her, she flips over and lunges at me, simultaneously knocking us off the bed. The control flies out of my hands, and she grabs for the handle of the blade still buried in my flesh.

She twists it as she screams, pushing it in deeper, causing the pain to rocket through me; pain like I've never experienced. White hot agony flashes in my eyes, and I'm not sure how I'll ever be able to focus enough to get us out of this. At that exact moment, Jane stops, freezing in place before crying out in pain. When she begins to jerk and thrash, the hand still gripping the hilt rips the blade from my body.

I bend, holding a hand over the wound and blink my eyes several times, but it doesn't do much to clear my vision. Ben is on the bed, peering over the edge at Jane's huddled, writhing form, the control in his hands, trembling as he uses both thumbs to push the button. The look of determination on his face almost makes me allow him to continue, but with the last shred of coherent thought I have, I know he can't have her death on his conscience.

"Give it ... to me, Ben," I rasp. "You don't ... want to ... do that."

His eyes meet mine, and for a brief moment, I'm not sure he's going to listen. He stares at me, and I stare back. Even through my spotty vision, I see the second he decides to relent. He hands me the control, and Jane's screaming stops during her brief respite, her breathing heavy as she lies on the floor.

"Just do it, Cullen," she says through gritted teeth.

"You did ... this to ... yourself." I blink faster, just to keep my eyes from falling closed. "Ben?"

His wide eyes meet mine.

"Look away."

He does as I say and turns to face the wall. I look back to Jane, and without a second thought, I change the setting on the control and press the button.

Her scream stops almost as abruptly as it began, her eyes rolling back in her head. Her body gives one final jerk off the ground before falling back to the floor.

With a few deep breaths, I steady myself before turning to look at Ben. "Hey," I whisper. "I'm gonna ... need help ... to get out of here."

He looks at me, his eyes involuntarily moving to Jane's dead body. "Why ..." He swallows hard. "Why do we need to leave? Can't we just wait for help?"

I shake my head. "No. The guards ... might find us ... first."

He nods as he slides off the bed. But instead of helping me off the floor, he stands over Jane, just looking at her. I know for a fact it isn't the first time he's seen a dead body, but this woman represents all the pain he's been through in his short life. Before I can ask him to give me a hand, he uses all his power to give a hard kick to Jane's corpse before reaching for a bloody sheet to toss over her. When she's finally out of sight, he turns to me and wants to know where we're going.

"Let's try ... to get underground." My breaths come faster as he helps me to my feet.

"Ed! Your stomach!"

I look down and feel dizzy at the sight of my own blood. "Need to ... wrap it."

Once we have a makeshift bandage wrapped tightly around my midsection, we slowly make our way toward the door. I lean on him as we walk slowly through the halls of the now abandoned building, searching for a way outside.

Ben is the one to find it, and when the door cracks open, the light and heat hit our faces. Combined with the haze of pain and dizzy confusion, it's disorienting. I don't know how he manages it, but Ben somehow leads us to a hiding place, dark and cool underground. When I finally lie on the dirt floor, I close my eyes and let the darkness claim me.

"No, Ed. Come on, you need to wake up!" The slap to my cheek is small but forceful. But it's still not enough to make me open my eyes. Memories come to me in fractured pieces, flashes of a struggle, the blood, Jane's dead body. The images beat in time with the throbbing pain in my middle and the pounding in my head.

"I'm awake," I mumble. I try to sit up, but the searing pain in my side forces me to lie back down. The wound, still pulsing and bleeding, is bandaged, but I know it's deep. I also know I should be worried about more than just the cut. The nausea, sweating, and dizziness all combined with the blood I've lost means I'm probably going into shock.

The slow, rhythmic _drip_ , _drip_ of what little water there is underground is almost enough to lull me back to sleep, but I force away the urge to let the darkness take me again. I focus on breathing through the pain, knowing that our captivity is almost over, whether I live through it or not. But looking up at the little boy who has my head cradled in his lap, I know I need to press forward, if anything else, to make sure he's safe.

"You're still bleeding." Ben sounds so concerned, and when I look into his eyes, there's worry there.

"Hey," I say, my voice gravelly, "it's gonna ... be fine. I'm pretty sure ... the cavalry has ... arrived, so ... as soon as they find us ... they'll fix me right up." My eyes drift closed as I allow my mind to drift to happier places. "Just look ... for Bella ... and tell her ... I love her."

And as if my mind has conjured her out of thin air, I hear her voice. Bella's smile, her laughter, and the way she tells me she loves me, all of it swirls around me, bringing me a comfort I haven't felt in so long. When I open my eyes, I can see the face of my angel, and I smile. Her voice along with the images in my head are enough to bring me peace in my last moments. It's almost as if she's right here with me as I whisper her name and exhale a heavy breath, oblivion finally claiming me.

* * *

 **A/N: I know, evil place to stop. *runs for cover* We'll be back to Bella next chapter!**

 **Thanks for reading! Remember, you can see teasers and pics in my Facebook group, Sunshine Fics. See you Tuesday! ;)**

 **Lots of love**

 **~Sunshine**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

 **Bella**

"So, what's next?" I look up at Emmett.

He takes a deep breath and blows it out while absentmindedly scratching at his head. "Well, I don't know as much as the teams sent down here, but I know enough. Engineering was briefed about Volterra's climate and landscape so we could make sure the fighters and shuttles were prepared for the conditions." His eyes suddenly go wide, and he snaps his fingers before pointing at us.

"But there are probably maps of this place in the shuttle's onboard computer. If anything we can see where we are and what might look like a place he might have thought to hide in."

"Excellent idea," Alice pipes up from behind me. "And while you're checking maps, I can pack the medic bag a little better now, knowing what kind of injuries we might be dealing with when we find him."

I step closer and wrap an arm around her, silently thanking her for thinking that we _will_ find him.

"Jasper? You're still needed here?"

"Afraid so, darlin'. And I will be for the foreseeable future." He glances at Alice before looking at me. "And as much as we could use my girl's assistance here, I have a feeling you're going to need her when you find Edward. I'd go with you, but I'm pretty sure my presence would be missed." His gaze shifts to taking in the room. "Shit went down here, and something tells me it'll be best if he gets straight back to Aurora." He looks back at us. "So as far as I know, you three were never here." He smirks. "It'll be easier than explaining why you were here in an unofficial capacity."

* * *

Emmett, Alice, and I avoid making contact with any more officers than necessary while we walk back to the shuttle. There's no need to arouse suspicion about why three able-bodied people aren't helping our men and women here on Volterra, either by surveying the damage and securing the area or helping the injured while the Commanders and higher ranking officers question those captured by our people.

We finally reach the shuttle, and while Emmett and I search through the computer, Alice packs supplies. We all work silently, side by side, until Em lets out a whoop.

"I think I found something that will work." He hits a few keys and the overhead monitor flickers to life. Alice and I stand on either side of him as he points to the map displayed on the screen.

"The computer on board the shuttle is basic, but it does include the equipment needed to scan for heat signatures nearby. So we just need to look for a small one, because everyone else will be in larger groups."

We all stand in silence as we each look for anything that would tell us where Edward might be hiding.

I step closer to the screen and allow my eyes to take in the images on the screen. Displayed on the monitor are what I would expect; places where our men and women are gathered, helping the captives to safety, as well as those waiting for medical treatment.

"There's a cave system on this moon," Emmett says quietly as we all search the screen. "They're all used for mining, that is until they reach a certain depth where Thanium is no longer found. When that happens, they're abandoned, and the crews are moved to new ones. I'm thinking if he's anywhere, it's in one of those."

Looking at the map, though, it's like trying to decode a rainbow colored puzzle. The heat signatures of the people on the surface are vibrant. Dark, almost black fading to blue then green and yellow, red to pink to white at the center. The images are all over the place, too. But as I focus on the cave system, the clumps of color are more muted, the rock separating us from the people below making the scan less effective.

When I spot a tiny speck of bluish-green, I step closer and point it out on the screen. "There. That could be a single person hiding below ground. And that cave is just a few hundred meters from the building we think he was in," I murmur before turning to face my friends. "Which means he could—"

"He could have made it there, injured or not," Emmett says with an excited nod. "And since it's one of the smaller ones, I'd guess our guys haven't checked it out yet."

"I say that's the first place we check." Without a second thought, I grab one of the bags Alice packed, check my weapons, and head toward the door. "Aren't you two coming?" I call over my shoulder.

"Well, Alice, you heard the lady. Let's go."

They scramble to catch up to me, and we walk once again past the chaos taking place outside the building now being used as the triage area. I make a concentrated effort to avoid eye contact with any of the injured, knowing what I'll see will break my heart and possibly my resolve to search for Edward first.

Cries of pain and agony from those waiting outside to see a doctor fill the air, and my feet can't move fast enough. In my periphery, I watch as trained personnel assess injuries, but they're spread thin. Some of these people just need comfort, someone to tell them their ordeal is almost over, but there aren't enough doctors, medics, and nurses to go around. When we finally pass the staging area, I feel like I can finally breathe.

"Everyone okay?" Alice asks once we're out of earshot of the injured.

"Yeah," I say over my shoulder. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"Because I know how hard it is to see all those people and not stop to help them."

"There's not much Bella or I could do for them, Alice." Emmett's gruff tone, the emotion in his voice tells me more than his words—it was just as difficult for him to walk past those people.

Nothing else is said as we approach the cave. When we finally reach the entrance, we're greeted by an opening crudely widened by tools, the rock chipped away to leave behind sharp edges.

Emmett is the first to speak. "We all need to be prepared for holdouts taking cover. Even if Edward isn't down there, it doesn't mean no one else is."

I nod and reach for the gun at my side. As I check my ammunition and ready the weapon, I notice Alice trembling beside me.

"Hey." I reach for her arm. "It's gonna be okay. You stay between Emmett and me and you'll be safe. Despite what he might think"—I point to Emmett—"chances are, if it isn't Edward in there, no one else is, either. Really, they'd be stupid to take cover so close to where so many of us are." I motion over my shoulder, pointing at the triage area.

"Okay." She nods and takes a deep breath before turning to Emmett. "Lead the way."

Carefully and quietly, we step into the darkness, following Em on the well-worn path. Stepping away from the mouth of the cave and deeper inside, the light grows dimmer, so we switch on the small lamps attached to our belts. Other than our soft footfalls, it's silent. That is, until we reach a bend in the trail. Alice is the one to gasp.

Just ahead, less than ten meters away, a rock formation juts out into our way. It's about waist high, smooth from the wear of time and the workers who passed it daily, likely touching it as they passed. But what really gets our attention is the bloody handprint near the top edge.

"Em?" I whisper.

"I see it." His reply is equally quiet. He turns toward us and makes eye contact, silently telling us to calm down and be prepared for anything.

We all seem to strengthen our grip on our weapons, and Alice and I follow behind Emmett as he steps toward the rocks. Just when we're mere steps away, murmured voices echo off the walls. One deep and broken, one light and clearly upset.

"... and tell her ... I love her."

"Ed! No! You have to wake up! How do I find Bella? Wake up!"

We all rush forward at once, our lights shining on a young boy, Edward's pale, sweating face in his lap. I drop to my knees at his side and place my hands on the clammy skin of his cheeks.

"Edward!" My voice is enough to make Edward's eyes flutter open.

"Bella." My name escapes his lips in a sigh, and his eyes close once again.

"No! Don't close your eyes, Edward. Look at me," I plead before looking up.

I'm pushed out of the way by Alice, all her prior trepidation gone as she shifts into a role she's more familiar with.

"He's lost a lot of blood. And judging by his rapid pulse, shallow breathing, and loss of consciousness, he's headed for hypovolemic shock. That is, if he's not there already." She looks up at us. "Under other circumstances I wouldn't suggest moving him, but he needs things I can't give him here, namely blood and an actual doctor."

Em and I both nod in agreement.

"But first I need to stop the bleeding. Hand me the medic bag." She thrusts her hand out to no one in particular as she keeps her eyes on his wound. When I hand her the bag, she blindly searches out the supplies she needs and gets right to it.

I'm in awe of how she works, her focused determination, her barking orders to Emmett and me, it's like she's a different woman from the one who walked into this cave just minutes ago. Working quickly, she removes the crude, soiled bandage wrapped around his abdomen. She then proceeds to cover his wound with a strange looking powder and a fresh bandage, pulling it tight around him.

"This will only work for so long. The hemostatic powder will constrict the blood vessels past the top few layers, but that wound is really deep, there could even be organ damage. So I'd say he's only barely stable. He needs surgery. But I can't tell while we're down here."

I'm quick to scurry to my feet to get in position to help lift him, but Em shakes his head.

"I think it's better if I carry him myself. We can move faster." Emmett pushes past me and crouches down to lift his brother into his arms. He looks up at Alice and me. "You two need to lead us out, though, just in case we run into any trouble."

Alice and I exchange worried glances, but we know we don't have any other choice. Over Alice's shoulder, I also see the wide and terrified eyes of the young boy Edward was lying on.

"Thank you for taking care of him," I whisper. "Something tells me he wouldn't still be with us if it weren't for you."

He doesn't speak, only nods.

"Would you like to come with us?" I reach a hand in his direction, offering him so much more than a ride to Aurora. I know without a doubt this boy is special to Edward, and I'll do what I can to make sure he sees he's there when he wakes.

"This is Aurora Coalition shuttle number 837393. Officer Hale, come in."

Rose's voice comes over his comm unit. "Emmett? What's going on?"

"We found him, Rose. We found my brother." The emotion in his voice is clear even from where I'm seated, and it brings tears to my eyes. Alice reaches across the void between us and grasps my hand, showing her support in that one, small squeeze.

"Oh, thank God! I was so—"

"We're coming home, Rose. We should be back on Aurora in less than an hour. We'll need a medic team, too. But make sure my dad knows he shouldn't be in on this one. Edward's in pretty bad shape."

"How bad—"

"He's on life support in a stasis pod to keep him stable right now." He pauses, taking a deep breath. "Just ... have a team ready, okay? He's critical."

"He'll be okay, right?" The boy's soft voice snaps me out of my Edward-watching trance.

I almost forgot he was even with us. My throat is tight, unable to answer, so I'm thankful when Alice does.

"We have all the equipment and medicine he could need to make a full recovery." She looks down at Edward, safely behind the glass of the pod. "But a lot depends on him." She smiles and turns to look at the boy. "But I'd bet you already know he's a fighter."

"I do," he answers softly. "He fought for me."

"And now he doesn't have to, so he can fight for himself." She steps to his side and ruffles his hair. "So I have a feeling he's going to be just fine."

"Okay everybody back there. You've got about two minutes to make sure you're secured. I'm engaging the jump drive in three," Emmett calls from his seat.

Everything inside me is screaming not to walk away from Edward, but I force myself to leave his side to get into a harness and buckle in.

The sight of the boy struggling with his harness brings me out of my own seat to help him.

"You're Bella?" he asks as I begin fastening the buckles of his harness, his voice raspy.

"I am." Something about the familiarity of this boy tells me I already know who he is. "And you're Ben?" I ask as I finish securing the straps.

His eyes light up, and a small smile forms on his face. "How did you know?"

"I saw your artwork, the picture you drew. It had your name on it." I offer him a small smile. "And I'm guessing you're pretty good friends with Edward?"

Ben's eyes drift to the pod then back to mine. "He's my only friend."

His bleak reply is enough to cause another surge of emotion to rip through me, and I have to blink back tears and clear my throat to answer him.

"Not anymore, Ben. Any friend of Edward's is a friend of mine." I squeeze his hand and gently kiss his forehead before I rush back to my seat to strap in and prepare for liftoff.

My eyes never leave the pod as we launch, and even as we jump, they're glued to Edward. And just like it brought me back to him, I can only pray the stasis pod does its job and keeps him alive ... that it brings him back to me.

* * *

 **A/N:** **Thanks** **so much** **for reading!** **Only one more chapter before the epilogue!**

 **Remember, you can see teasers and pics in my Facebook group, Sunshine Fics. See you** **Friday** **! ;)**

 **Lots of love**

 **~Sunshine**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"They tell me you haven't left his side except to use the facilities."

I look over my shoulder and find my father standing in the doorway of Edward's room. "It's only been a few days, Dad."

He steps inside and rests a hand on my shoulder. "So I hear he's going to make a full recovery?"

"That's what the Doctor said." I sigh. "I just wish he'd wake up."

Dad pulls up another chair and sits beside me. "For all the advancements we've made in the centuries since we left Earth, the human body is still a mystery in many ways. You'd think by now they'd have figured out how to speed the healing process." He reaches over to cover my hand with his. "I'm sure he'll wake up when he's supposed to, Bella."

I only nod.

"You know it was risky to do what you guys did, Bella. First, you stole a shuttle, then you landed in what was basically an active war zone. We'd already lost a few of our men, and when we figured out the three of you and a shuttle were missing ... Let's just say your mother and I weren't the only ones furious and scared out of our minds." He shakes his head. "And you're lucky I stepped in and talked Garrett down when I did or you would've been taken into custody."

"I know, Dad," I whisper before turning to face him. "Thank you."

"But you got him back, so it was worth it, wasn't it?"

I stare down at the man in the bed. The small, silver diodes connected to his chest, the cuff around his wrist delivering the medication to treat him for Thanium exposure, and the thin, white sheet are the only things to cover his body as the nearby machines monitor his vital signs. The slow, almost lazy beat of his heart and the quiet breaths he takes are what tell me he survived. He's here, he's alive.

"Yeah, it was worth it."

Silence settles between us, the steady beeps of the monitors and medical personnel passing in the halls are the only sounds to fill it, until I decide to speak.

"Did everything go as planned on Volterra?"

"Other than losing some of our men, it did. Caius was apprehended as he was trying to board a shuttle bound for Aeonia. And we've got more than enough on him and the others in charge to get them all for treason. Seems like the underlings were pretty quick to turn on the higher ups."

"What happens with Aeonia now?"

He blows out a breath. "That won't be quite so simple. Since they're not part of the Federation, we can't charge them with anything, and they didn't directly take all those people, even if their need for more Thanium and agreement with Caius led to them being taken. It'll probably take years of mediation and negotiations to have some kind of treaty with them."

"And back on Cordia? What happened with those charged with treason? Will we ever be able to go back?"

He shakes his head. "I doubt it. The more people they investigate, well, it only leads to finding more corruption in the government. They're even talking about Federation sanctions against them." Disappointment colors his expression. "People I worked alongside for years were doing things I had no knowledge of." He looks down at me. "Makes me wonder if I should continue in the position I'm in."

I lean my head on his shoulder. "What we need are more people like you and Garrett in charge. We would all be better for it."

I close my eyes for a moment and revel in the peaceful moment between my father and me. That is, until he wants to talk about something I've so far been able to avoid thinking about.

"I'm told you've seen the reports on what you found in that room?" he asks softly.

I nod and lift my head from his shoulder, straightening myself in my seat. I refuse to say anything about what I read just this morning.

"Bella, I'm sure there's a reasonable explan—"

"Which I'll get when he wakes up, and not someone else's theory about ... about what they found."

"Bella, you can't argue with DNA. His was found—"

"I know damn well where it was found!" I turn to look him in the eyes. "And I told you, I'll wait for Edward to tell me what really happened in that room."

Dad raises his hands in defense as he stands. "Okay, okay. I just want you to be prepared in case it isn't what you want to hear." He kisses the top of my head and heads for the door. "Just know I'm here if you need to talk." And then he disappears.

I stare down at the man in the bed, the man who waited years on me, searched the stars for me, and I know without a doubt that whatever happened in that room doesn't change anything. He's alive, and that's all that matters.

* * *

Esme and Carlisle visit, and even Emmett comes with Ben to check on Edward. The little boy we rescued is so quiet, but so obviously cares for Edward. He doesn't speak much, but always has something to whisper to Edward. They all stay a while when they visit, though not for too long, but I never leave his side. For ten years, he never gave up on me, and I won't give up on him now.

It's well into the fourth day when he begins to show signs of coming around. I first notice it in the change in his heart rate. Over the course of about an hour it speeds up, almost imperceptibly. If I wasn't here at his bedside around the clock, I may not have noticed it.

The flex of his hand around my fingers brings me out of my seat and to his side. His eyes move rapidly until they settle on me.

"Bella?" he rasps as his fingers squeeze mine.

"I'm here, Edward." He blinks as I brush away his hair from his piercing jade eyes. They still appear foggy, but they quickly focus on mine, and what I find there is a storm of pain and confusion.

"What ...? Where ...?"

I cup his face and gently brush my thumbs over his cheeks, quieting him as I speak softly and slowly. "Shh. You're back on Aurora. You were hurt, but you're okay now. Or, you will be. The doctors said there was some internal damage that took longer to heal, but you're alive and safe, and that's all that matters."

"But—"

"We'll talk and I'll answer all your questions soon, but not now." I glance up at the monitor and notice his heart rate is only increasing. "Edward," I say, staring down at him, "you need to calm down."

Tears fill his eyes as he begins to mumble what sounds like a litany of apologies. "I'm so sorry, Bella. I'm so, so sorry."

My need to comfort him overrules my need to know what he's apologizing for. I wrap my arms around him as best I can, holding him as he sobs into my shoulder. I refuse to think about why he's sorry, about what is causing him so much pain.

"Shh, it's okay, Edward. Whatever it is, it doesn't matter. You're home, and you're safe. That's all that's important to me."

A nurse eventually comes in to sedate him when his heart rate gets too high, and I'm once again looking down on a sleeping Edward. Even in his sleep I can see him fighting his demons. He calls out for me and says he's sorry, and it breaks my heart to watch him suffer, even in his dreams ... his nightmares. I know whatever happened on Volterra, whatever it is that explains the report I read, is eating away at him. I have to push away thoughts of what it could mean for us, that it may have the power to tear us apart.

Whatever it is, I silently promise myself _and_ Edward, I won't allow it to ruin what we've fought so hard to get back. Even if it breaks a part of me to hear him explain.

* * *

It's an unspoken agreement to not discuss whatever it is haunting Edward until he's released from the hospital. We talk but about safer topics. He now knows what happened when the Coalition arrived on Volterra. He knows Caius has been captured, and he knows those involved on Cordia are being tried. He knows which of his friends and comrades were lost to the fight, and he knows the people who were rescued from their captivity are all being cared for by the Coalition.

He also knows it was all worth it, whatever the cost.

Ben visits, and for the first time since meeting him, I witness a real smile on his face. Whatever it is they went through together has bonded them in a way that can't be broken. I know wherever life leads us, Ben will be a permanent fixture in Edward's life.

* * *

When he's finally released, his family does their best to stay calm, but Esme can barely contain her excitement over her son being sent home.

"I've asked your father to speak to his colleagues, and they've agreed to order extra rations for you, dear. They've been scaled back for most of us here on Aurora, what with so many newcomers and all, but since you're still healing and getting back your strength, I thought it might be best to feed you a little extra." Her excited rambling as Edward settles himself into our bed makes Carlisle grin and shake his head in disbelief as he stands behind his wife.

"Thanks, Mom. I'm sure the doctors will see to me being properly fed." His tight smile tells me all I need to know. He's had about all he can take for the day.

"Okay, you two, thanks so much for helping me get him home, but I'm pretty sure Edward could use a quiet day to settle in." My eyes meet Carlisle's, and I'm sure he can see my pleading. Too bad Esme doesn't understand.

"But we—"

"Bella is right, dear. We'll let him rest, and when he feels up to visitors, we can come back and see him. He isn't going anywhere." He turns to his son. "And we'll be sure to bring Ben with us, too. He's anxious to see you with his own eyes and make sure you're really okay at home."

Edward nods in understanding. "Thank you."

In one of their earlier conversations, Ben confided in Edward he didn't really trust anyone but him. He's sure to be anxious until he sees Edward is really home and not off somewhere else being harmed.

After his parents leave and it's finally just the two of us, an uncomfortable silence fills the room. We both know there are so many things that need to be said, to be explained, but he's about as ready to tell me as I am to hear it.

As I busy myself with straightening the room and tidying up things that don't need to be, he watches me. His unrelenting stare is almost unsettling, more so because I know he's working out in his head what to say.

"You know, it's you that kept me going every day I was there."

I'm turned away, unable to face him.

"All the horrible evil going on around me, and just the thought of your beautiful face and your kind heart made me keep going, wake up day after day and do what I had to do to survive, just so I could get back to you."

"I'm happy I could do that for you." I finally turn to face him. "I never gave up on you."

"I'm glad you didn't." A sad smile appears on his face. "I hope you'll still feel that way after—"

"I've read the report." I nearly choke on the words. "I know ... _something_ happened. And I know there's a reasonable explanation for it."

He nods as he hangs his head. "There is," he whispers. "But I know it's going to hurt you."

"Well ..." I clear my throat and swallow down the lump of anxiety trying to choke me as I sit beside him on the bed. "I know what I read were just the facts, and don't get me wrong, it hurt to read them, but I know you would never do anything intentionally to hurt me. Especially after it took so long to find our way back to each other. So, I'm going to reserve my opinion for after you've explained everything to me."

He nods and takes my hand. "Okay. So, maybe we start with what you read in the report."

A knot forms in my gut, recalling the words. "They found ..." I clear my throat, and my voice drops to a whisper as I fight back my tears. "They found your DNA ... in ... inside that dead woman."

He squeezes his eyes shut and his grasp on my hand tightens, almost as if he's holding tight so I don't pull away. "I'm so sorry you had to read that, Bella," he whispers. "If I could have ..." He shakes his head.

"They took Ben," he begins, his voice already breaking. "They hauled him away from our crew one day, and he didn't come back. I was sure he was dead. But a few days later they called me to her quarters, and it was almost worse. He was being tortured, experimented on, and Jane told me if I agreed to"—his voice drops to a broken whisper—"if I agreed to sleep with her, she would stop hurting Ben and he would get medical attention and be fed ... kept safe." He opens his eyes, both anguish and determination in their depths. "Bella, that little boy lost so much on Volterra, they took so much from him, and I had it in my power to save him from any more pain and death. I'm so sorry, but I had to ... I had to do it to save Ben ... to save us both. I had to do something, anything to help us get out of there. I had to do something.

"Every day, I looked for a way out of there, some way to escape. I focused on looking for any chance I might get to take Ben and run, but it never came. But I never lost hope, never once gave up on getting back to you. And I knew in my heart you could forgive what I had to do, that our love was strong enough to survive my choices. Please tell me I wasn't wrong. Please tell me you don't hate me."

His pleading is almost my undoing, but utter relief washes over him when I answer. "How could I hate you, Edward? If you'd have allowed her to harm him, you wouldn't be the man I know you are. Am I hurt? Yes, but _you_ didn't do it. In every way that matters, it was out of your control."

The man who collapses against me, sobbing, is not the same man who left Aurora weeks ago. No, this man has been through so much, seen so much, he's forever changed. Even if he's put up a good front for his family and friends, here, when it's just the two of us, the walls he's had up come crumbling down. I silently vow to myself to do whatever I can to help him heal.

"Shh," I say as I hold him close. "It's over, Edward. I almost lost you, and whatever happened, it brought you back to me, and I can never be angry about that." Even as I say the words, I know they're true and not just to assuage his guilt. "You're here with me, and Ben is alive and well because of what you did for him."

"I'm so sorry, Bella. I hate that it hurt you, that I even had to make the choice I did. And I'm worried this will follow us forever. It'll put distance between us, and I'll always worry that underneath it all, you'll hate me."

I search his eyes, begging him with mine to believe me. "It may take time, but I know we can get past this. You have to believe me when I say I don't hate you. I could never hate you. And the sooner you believe that, the sooner we can deal with it and move on." I gently grasp his anguished face between my hands and stare into his eyes. "But we have to promise that we'll do that together."

His expression changes. Instead of the sadness and pain he's had on his face, I find a look of relief.

"Together. I like the sound of that."

* * *

 **A/N: Well, all we have left is the epilogue! I'll be hitting the complete button on this Tuesday. Thanks for reading and reviewing, favoriting and following! You guys are awesome. Xoxo**

 **Remember, you can see teasers and pics, as well as info on upcoming stories in my Facebook group, Sunshine Fics. See you Tuesday! ;)**

 **Lots of love**

 **~Sunshine**


	19. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

 **Four years later**

 _I'm trapped, locked behind the glass of my stasis pod, only this time, I'm upright, not lying down. My rapid, hot breaths leave a thick layer of condensation on the surface, making it nearly impossible to see what's happening._

 _I look up, then down, my hands pushing in all directions, trying to find my way out of the confining pod. Dull thuds echo in my ears as I thump on the glass._

" _Let me out!" The more I scream, the foggier the glass becomes. I wipe furiously at it, trying to see what's going on outside my own private prison._

 _When I've finally exhausted myself, my throat raw from screaming, I close my eyes and rest my forehead against the cool glass. As my breathing slows and my heart begins to calm, other sounds make themselves known._

 _Screams and thumps, though not as loud as my own were, sound all around me. The light grows brighter outside my pod, and things begin to come into focus._

 _The room is full of stasis pods, each one holding someone I love. Familiar faces look back at me, their cries muffled behind glass. My parents, my friends, my extended family, they're all trapped with no way out. When my eyes focus on the two pods directly across from mine, my breathing picks up, and my heart begins to race all over again._

 _Edward and Ben are trapped inside pods, both trying to claw their way out. They're not the healthy, happy people I recognize, but the emaciated, wounded Edward and Ben we brought back from Volterra._

 _Strangers mill around the room; doctors, soldiers, guards, and even beings with human features but who are inhuman in their beauty, beings I recognize as Aeonians, all converse about what to do with us all. But when a woman, slight, blonde, and bloodied, steps toward Edward's pod, I let out a bloodcurdling scream._

"Hey, baby, it's okay. Shh. It was just a nightmare."

Edward's arms are wrapped around me, trying to calm me as he holds me to him. Unbidden tears leak from my eyes and onto his bare chest, and I curl into him.

"It's been a while since you've had one of those," he says softly as he rubs a comforting hand up and down my back.

"Yeah," I whisper. "I'm sorry I woke you up."

"Nothing to be sorry for."

The climate control system engages and cool air is forced through the vents, cooling my heated skin. My heart begins to slow, and the uneasy feeling running through me when I woke starts to dissipate. It's replaced with need; need to be close to Edward, to reassure myself he's really here, alive and healthy.

And as he does every time this happens, he knows.

I tilt my head, just enough to bring my lips to his, and no further words are necessary. The need, the want, the urgency I feel every time I have one of these nightmares is overwhelming, and he already knows what I need from him.

He takes over, his tongue dancing with mine, our lips molded together, but with his leading us. His hold on me shifts, moving me until I'm under him, surrounded by him.

It's everything I need to be reminded of the life we now have.

His kiss is unrelenting, and when he finally pulls away, I'm left panting. His lips never leave me, only shifting to my neck as his hands work at removing what few clothes I'm wearing. I push at the waistband of his sleep pants until I can no longer reach, then use my feet to push them the rest of the way down. When we're both bare, we waste no time closing the space between us. His arms cage me in as he settles between my thighs, and I wrap my legs around him and pull him closer.

There's no preamble, no questions or reassurances asked for or given, just absolute trust in one another. It's taken us a long time to get back to this, to get back to being able to just _be_ together this way. So many frustrations and tears in the months following his return home, but it's now all a painful but distant memory, the ghost of which is only brought back when my nightmares haunt me.

I use my legs to pull him closer still, him pushing into me as I cling to him. Our pace is slow, steady, almost languid as he moves, my hips meeting his with every thrust. With one hand in his hair and the other around his waist, I hold him impossibly closer. I can't tell where I end and he begins. We truly are one.

It's in moments like this when I say a silent thank you to the universe for bringing him back to me.

* * *

"Oh, come on, Ed! I know people can be accepted into the training program at my age when there are special circumstances," Ben argues.

My husband heaves a heavy sigh as he puts aside the report he's working on. "And what kind of special circumstances does a kid like you have?"

He counts off his points on his fingers. "One, I'm at the top of my class. Two, I've been volunteering in Charlie's office, so I've got his endorsement. Three, I can bench twice my own weight and run circles around you! And I'm not a kid anymore!"

"I know all of that, Ben. But a few other kids your age have some of the same _special circumstances,_ so I'm not sure how special they really are. And besides, we've already talked about this. You're waiting until you're eighteen to sign up, just two more years, and that's final."

Their stare-off continues until Ben finally relents in an angry growl. "Fine! I'll just go back to playing with toys and drawing pictures until you decide I'm grown up enough to handle training," he yells as he stomps down the short hall to his room.

I come up behind Edward and wrap my arms around his neck. "Well that could've gone better." I kiss the spot just behind his ear as he huffs a breath.

"He's just in such a hurry to grow up." He spins his chair to face me. "Why does he make things so hard?"

I smile wryly. "Because he's finally a typical teenager."

"Typical," he scoffs, looking down and shaking his head. His eyes meet mine. "Can't he just enjoy being a kid for a little while longer? He missed out on so much. I just wish he wasn't in such a rush to grow up."

I sigh as I make myself comfortable, sitting on his lap and pulling his arms around me. "Yes," I say carefully, knowing this is a touchy subject. "But we can't hold him back, either. If he feels ready to leave his childhood behind, there isn't much we can do about it, Edward. All we can do is help him make the right choices and be there to support him when he makes them."

He rests his forehead against mine, closing his eyes. "How did you get so smart?"

"Not sure if I'd call it smart, but I've got excellent survival instincts," I say with a giggle. "And that's my best guess at how to survive the next couple years with a teenager."

He huffs a laugh and looks up at me. "I'm just thankful we only have to endure the teen years once."

I smile and run my fingers through his hair, slightly gray at the temples, content with the decisions we made for our family.

Shortly after Edward was released from the hospital, back when we were taking it one day at a time in our relationship, we quickly learned how much Ben had come to need and depend on the man who was my fiancé at the time. Even after visiting with Jasper for weekly counseling sessions, he was despondent while in the care of any of the other Cullens. Only when he was with Edward did he really appear to be happy and at peace.

It didn't take long for us to decide to make him a permanent part of our small family. The same day we had our small wedding ceremony, we signed documents placing Ben in our care. We knew we were taking on a huge responsibility. A child with so many deep wounds, such a painful past, would need our complete focus. It was for that reason we decided Ben would be the only child for us.

And with the state of our world being what it is, it's a choice we've never regretted.

Cordia is a shell of the planet it once was, its governing bodies culled of their corruption. The Federation has leveled sanctions against them for their part in the abduction and abuse of thousands of people on Volterra. But unfortunately, that's meant the people of Cordia have suffered.

When the Cordian government was left in shambles, systems that once saw to the well-being of the planet were no longer in place. The Federation focused solely on bringing those responsible to justice, while its people and interim leaders scrambled to establish infrastructure and support.

It's taken time, but they're slowly improving. The Coalition has stepped up to join the Federation in caring for them. Liaison committees have been set up and an interim counsel appointed to try and get it back to what it once was; a peaceful and prosperous planet. All of which means Aurora is in a constant state of change.

New people arrive and trained crews leave regularly, either to help on Cordia or guard the base on Volterra. My job is to help new arrivals acclimate to life on Aurora, help them physically adjust and decide what to do next. There's also a select group who have been chosen to mediate with the Aeonians.

My father was right when he said it would take years to barter some kind of resolution with them. Four years later, we're only now reaching the point where a permanent treaty might be signed.

And the man seated beneath me is one of the men on the Ambassadors' council, and he wears his new title proudly. His unique position as both a Commander and a former prisoner on Volterra make him perfect for the job. He works alongside my father, General Garrett, and a few others. Even his father was chosen to go to the planet to mediate some of the meetings regarding their use of Thanium to extend lifespans. Carlisle is back in the role of a medical Ambassador, and his input in the negotiations has been invaluable.

And looking down at the report Edward's laid aside, I know he'll soon be making another trip there.

"When do you—"

"I'm going to see my friends, if that's acceptable." Ben's sudden appearance and curt tone is enough to end my inquiry.

Edward taps my behind, silently asking me to get off his lap. "First of all, lose the attitude," he says as I stand. "And that's fine, but please be home by twenty-one hundred."

"But—"

"It's a school night, Ben." Edward's tone leaves no room for argument. "And I could just as easily tell you no."

Ben nods and lowers his head, just slightly. "Sorry," he mumbles.

"Look, I understand you're upset, but acting that way just shows me how _not_ ready you are to enter the training program." He sighs, and I know this is just as hard on him as it is on Ben.

"You're right. And I'm sorry for being a pain in the ass."

I can tell it's taking a lot for him to fight his grin, but thankfully, Edward holds it back and lets him off the hook. "Now get out of here before I change my mind."

"Thanks, Ed!" he says as he bolts for the door.

"Tell Angela we said hello!" I yell, chuckling as he heads through the door.

He yells back as he goes. "I will."

"So, when do you leave?" I finally ask as I sit on the edge of his desk, pointing to the papers on top of it.

"Not for another week."

"And this is the big one? The one where the final draft of the treaty will be drawn up?"

"It is, and I really need to study this report. But"—he leans forward in his chair—"this is the first time we've been alone in the middle of the afternoon for weeks." His fingertips trail a blazing path up my clothing-covered thigh, and the warmth of his touch reaches my skin, even through the fabric.

"Oh really? And just what do you propose we do with our alone time?" I lean back, supporting myself on my spread hands on the desktop, failing miserably at playing coy.

He rises from his chair and looms over me. He leans in and his lips skim my neck as he speaks against my throat, close but not quite touching. "I can think of a thing or two."

He knows how to push my buttons, how to make my blood heat and my skin tingle. My pulse races as he lightly kisses behind my ear, nips at the soft flesh of my neck, all while his nimble fingers work at the buttons of my shirt. His lips have made it to the dip at the base of my throat as his hands push open my shirt, nudging it over and past my shoulders until I have to lift my hands off the desk for him to completely remove it.

My fingers go to his hair, pulling him closer once I'm rid of half my clothing. "Do you expect to seduce me right here in the middle of the room?" I whisper against his lips, grinning.

"And so what if I do?" He smiles as I kiss him.

"If you do, we just might embarrass our son to death if he walks in on us again."

He chuckles as he buries his face in the space where my shoulder and neck meet. "One time, Bella. It happened _one_ time!"

"One time too many."

"Well, he should learn to knock when our bedroom door is closed," he says and pulls away, but only slightly, looking me square in the eyes. "Then he wouldn't have gotten an eyeful of my ass."

"And what a cute ass it is," I tease. "But really, Edward, maybe your desk in the middle of our sitting room isn't the best place to get naked." Try as I might, I can't say it with a straight face. My smile quickly morphs into giggles when he cracks a grin, and I squeal out in surprise when he suddenly picks me up off his desk.

"Then we take this to our bedroom."

I laugh as he carries me, my legs wrapped around him as he kisses all over my exposed torso, his own laughter rumbling in his chest.

We make it to our room and he closes the door, making a production of showing me he's locked it, before we tumble into the bed.

He attacks me with kisses, some sweet, some silly, all while I laugh at his antics. The light that shines in his eyes when he pulls away to look at me calms my giggles, but my smile stays.

"I love you," I whisper.

He places a lingering kiss on my lips, the lightheartedness of just a moment ago now replaced with warmth and complete and utter contentment.

"Forever."

* * *

 **A/N: Well, that's a wrap! Thank you all for reading and for sticking with me through this one. I know there were some uncomfortable moments, and some of you had to skip some bits, but I hope you enjoyed it. I apologize for being such an utter fail at replying to reviews this time around, but please know I have appreciated each and every one of them. I will do my best to go back and, at the very least, answer questions any of you had.**

 **Big thank yous go out to SunflowerFran, Fyrebyrd, 2brown-eyes, and Honeymoon Edward for working on this with me, and also to everyone involved with the Babies at the Border fundraiser. I'm so happy I was able to be a part of it. I hope everyone will continue to monitor the ongoing crisis of family separation still ongoing at the US border. To me, I think no matter which side of the aisle you agree with, we can all agree that children should not be separated from their families.**

 **I'm excited about my next project. I want to have a few more chapters in the bank before I begin posting, but be on the lookout for the expansion of one of my Age of Edward 2017 entries, Dominion. If you don't want to miss it, be sure to follow me here or come join my Facebook group, Sunshine Fics for pics and teasers!**

 **Lots of love**

 **~Sunshine**


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